Hot Dog Cart Business License
There are three types of licenses that your local city hall may require that you have:
- Business License.
- Location Permit.
- Special Events Permit.
Business Licenses are usually procured at city hall. The cost usually varies from about $60.00 to as much as $300.00 per year depending on the city. Often cities have information about business licenses posted on the city web site. You may even be able to obtain and pay for your license online.
They should, at the same time, give you details about the Do’s and Don’ts, where you can and can not locate your hotdog cart, and information on any other local by-laws that apply to the hot dog vending business. This is a good time to ask any questions about the retail food business as it applies to your area.
Check at the same time to see if you will also require a Location License for your hot dog cart. For instance, if you want to have one location for mid week business, Monday to Friday, and another location for working on the weekend, you may be required to have separate location permits for these.
One final license that you should inquire about is a Special Events Permit. If you want to take advantage of any special tourist events, sports events, etc, you may be required to also have a separate permit for those occasions in addition to your normal location permit.
One of the most important things to remember is that in order for vending to run legally, you must have all of the necessary permits and licenses. A simple phone call to your local municipality will easily tell you what you need to do to get started. Before you begin, I recommend that you obtain licenses. This is required because festivals require licenses before you can even begin to sign on the dotted line, and this is required.
Hot Dog Cart Business License
There are three types of licenses that your local city hall may require that you have:
- Business License.
- Location Permit.
- Special Events Permit.
Business Licenses are usually procured at city hall. The cost usually varies from about $60.00 to as much as $300.00 per year depending on the city. Often cities have information about business licenses posted on the city web site. You may even be able to obtain and pay for your license online.
They should, at the same time, give you details about the Do’s and Don’ts, where you can and can not locate your hotdog cart, and information on any other local by-laws that apply to the hot dog vending business. This is a good time to ask any questions about the retail food business as it applies to your area.
Check at the same time to see if you will also require a Location License for your hot dog cart. For instance, if you want to have one location for mid week business, Monday to Friday, and another location for working on the weekend, you may be required to have separate location permits for these.
One final license that you should inquire about is a Special Events Permit. If you want to take advantage of any special tourist events, sports events, etc, you may be required to also have a separate permit for those occasions in addition to your normal location permit.
The information regarding licensing and operation of your cart presented here is intended as informational only. It does not in any sense guarantee the success of your hot dog cart business.
This information is presented to assist you where possible with the start up and operation of a new American hot dog cart business. (Note that requirements and practices may vary in other parts of the world.) We want you to have a happy and profitable experience using your Willy Dogs hot dog cart.
The information and examples are offered at no cost to you to help you reduce the time, complexity and work load associated with the start up and day to day operation of your hot dog cart. It is intended to help you with finding out and dealing with the various business laws and health codes applicable to hot dog carts.
Willy Dogs is not responsible for the completeness of the content of these suggestions, or the extent that you apply these suggestions, or your success in meeting all the possible laws or codes for any business or location.
The operational guidelines are general practices in the American hot dog cart industry. It should be understood that health codes and business regulations vary from place to place and it is the sole responsibility of each business owner to ensure that all the business laws and health codes are met for his/her individual location and circumstance.
Hot dog cart operators in California must follow the new guidelines of the California Retail Food Code instituted in July of 2007.
In many places, health departments require that all vendors take a food safety course and pass a background check before they can be licensed to operate a cart or trailer. These classes are occasionally provided at no cost. In most cases, the introductions will be made by members of your local Health Department team. It’s critical to think of the Health Department Inspector as an ally rather than an adversary when dealing with them. Every food service company’s foundation is built on the principles of product quality and food safety.
Another important piece of documentation is a business license, which is required in order to operate a business in the county in which you live. However, if you travel outside of your local area and set up a hot dog cart in a new location for a few days, you may be required to obtain a sales tax licence from the city in which you are operating your hot dog cart business.
Consider laminating the licence and taping it to the front of the cart for added protection. This eliminates any possibility of it being seen by others or being destroyed by food. Place it in a prominent location, but not at eye level. This means that people will not have access to your personal information (such as your name, address, and so on) unless you notice them looking at it and striking up a conversation with them. Does this sound paranoid? Perhaps, but some people wake up on the wrong side of the bed every morning, looking for someone on whom to dump their troubles and frustrations.
The importance of paperwork in the hot dog business cannot be overstated. If your paperwork isn’t in order, you could be kicked out of a festival or have your business shut down in an instant. Consider appointing a single point of contact to handle all of the paperwork.