How to Start a Food Truck in Calgary
Start a food truck in Calgary: the Full Service Food Vehicle licence at $953 new, the Alberta Health Services food handling permit, the $2 million insurance, and where a truck may and may not trade.
How to Start a Food Truck in Halifax
A Halifax food truck needs two approvals: a Nova Scotia Food Establishment Permit for a Mobile Class 1 unit, and an HRM food vending licence under By-law C-501 for a specific site on municipal land.
Applies in: Nova Scotia
The short answer
A food truck in Halifax needs two separate approvals. Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change issues a Food Establishment Permit for anyone who wants to operate a foodservice facility, including a mobile canteen. Halifax Regional Municipality then issues a food vending licence for food service vehicles selling on approved HRM property under By-law C-501. The truck is licensed by the province. The spot it parks on is licensed by the municipality. One does not replace the other.
Work through the provincial permit first, because the Halifax application asks you to include a copy of your valid health permit. Then apply to Halifax for a site, with the vehicle documents and insurance the city lists.
Written November 13, 2026
Step 1: Get the Nova Scotia Food Establishment Permit
The provincial permit covers the unit itself. A food truck falls under Mobile Class 1, described on the provincial page as a mobile eating establishment. The fee is $220.66 with HST included, or $88.24 for a seasonal permit covering six months or less.
Apply online for an eating establishment application, pick up a form at a Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change office, or download the Food Establishment Permit Application from the department. A completed paper application is mailed with a cheque or money order payable to the Minister of Finance. The province does not accept debit cards, credit cards, or cash for this permit.
An inspector from the department carries out an on-site inspection after the application is received, and the inspection must happen before the permit can be issued. The stated waiting period is 15 to 20 business days for an initial application and up to 15 business days for a renewal, as long as everything that must accompany the application has arrived. The permit is valid for one year from the issue date, and the department sends a notice when it is about to expire. Facilities holding the permit are inspected every year as standard procedure, and more often if the facility is considered high-risk.
A temporary event is a different permit. Selling food at a fair or festival from a booth operated for 14 consecutive days or less per year uses a Temporary Event Permit instead, at $27.57 for one day or $57.89 for two days or longer. Do not use a temporary permit as a substitute for the Mobile Class 1 permit if the truck is your ongoing business.
Step 2: Apply to Halifax for a vending site
Halifax licences vending on municipal land. The Halifax food vending page defines a food service vehicle as any vehicle, as defined in the Motor Vehicle Act, used for the display, storing, transportation, or sale of food and non-alcoholic beverages by a vendor. Your vehicle must be licensed and registered under the Motor Vehicle Act, and the maximum size is seven metres in length. Food service vehicle sites are located on the street, at specific sites listed under By-law C-501. You vend at the site your licence covers, not anywhere you find a space.
Applications are processed on a first come, first served basis. The city recommends setting up your customer account and business account before the application opening date so a login problem does not cost you the location you want. You can apply online, with payment by Visa, Mastercard, or American Express (a debit credit card is not accepted by the online system), or in person at the Bayers Road Customer Service Centre at 7071 Bayers Road in Halifax or the Alderney Customer Service Centre at 40 Alderney Drive in Dartmouth, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
The page also separates annual licences from a 5-year food vending tender. Some sites are awarded through a tender bid on the Nova Scotia Tender website rather than through the annual first-come process, so check which route covers the site you want before you prepare your documents.
What Halifax asks you to submit
For a food service vehicle licence, Halifax lists these documents:
- A criminal record report dated within 30 days of the date of application
- A photograph of the food service vehicle
- A description of the vehicle, including its length with all attachments such as generators and a trailer hitch
- A copy of the safety inspection certificate
- A copy of the vehicle registration permit
- A copy of your driver's licence
- The location of the serving counter on the vehicle. Under section 31(1)(l) of By-law C-501, no person shall vend from a motor vehicle at other than the sidewalk side of the vehicle
- Written consent from the owner, if you are not the owner of the vehicle
- A copy of your valid health permit, which is the provincial permit from Step 1
- Proof of insurance for $2,000,000 in coverage, naming Halifax Regional Municipality, spelled out, as additionally insured
Two items catch applicants out. The criminal record report goes stale: it must be dated within 30 days of applying, so order it close to the application date, not at the start of your build. And the insurance certificate has to name the municipality in full as additionally insured. A general liability policy that does not name Halifax Regional Municipality does not match the stated requirement.
The Halifax vehicle inspection
After a vending application is approved, the city contacts you to schedule an inspection of the vehicle. Inspections are completed at 7 Mellor Avenue in Dartmouth, at the back of the building near the ramp.
Staff measure the length and width of the vehicle to check it against the maximum sizes, and they check fire and cooking equipment in detail. The published checklist includes a metal exhaust hood over the fryers or grill with all seams continuously welded, a flip-up roof panel above the hood or two turbines for ventilation of grease-laden vapours, a fixed pipe extinguishing system with posted operating instructions and a tag showing inspection within the last six months, a type K portable fire extinguisher for deep fryers, and a multi-purpose dry chemical extinguisher (a 5 lb. ABC type will suffice). The propane system must carry a green tag under section 31 of the Nova Scotia Fuel Safety Regulations. Umbrellas, awnings, or similar items must sit at least 2 metres above sidewalk level. Your valid Nova Scotia health permit must be displayed. All equipment must be secured so it cannot move during transit, and compressors, auxiliary engines, generators, batteries, and propane tanks must be accessible from the exterior of the vehicle. An accessible three-tier waste system is also checked.
For propane and gas permits, the city points applicants to the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education. For electrical wiring, it points to Nova Scotia Power for permit requirements and inspections. Sort both out before the inspection date rather than after a failed check.
Private property, festivals, and the limits of the city licence
The vending by-law only issues licences for specific sites on municipal land. Selling from private property is outside that site system, but it is not outside the provincial system: the Food Establishment Permit is still required to operate the truck. A site licence may also not be permitted to operate during a festival or special event approved by HRM, under section 39 of By-law C-501, so an event on or near your site can displace you even with a valid licence. If two or more people want to share one location, Halifax allows a joint application, with each person submitting a separate vending licence application form.
What the opened pages do not state
The Halifax food vending page opened for this guide lists the required documents, the seven-metre maximum, the inspection checklist, and the application routes, but it does not state the current annual vending licence fee, so this guide gives no figure for the city licence. Fees in older Halifax application packages found in search results date from 2020 and were not carried. The provincial permits page states the Mobile Class 1 fee, the one-year validity, and the 15-to-20-business-day initial waiting period. It does not state a separate fee for the pre-permit inspection, so none is given here.
Related guides:
- Food Truck Permits and Licences in Canada — the national picture of municipal and health approvals for mobile food businesses.
- Starting a Food Truck in Canada Checklist — the step-by-step checklist version of the national process.
- How to Start a Restaurant in Halifax — the fixed-premises route in the same city, with the same provincial permit system.
- How to Start a Bakery in Halifax — another Halifax food business that starts with the Nova Scotia food establishment rules.
- How to Get a Food Handler Certificate in Canada — food handler training and certification across Canada.
Nova Scotia Food Establishment Permit fees for mobile units
| Mobile Class 1 (mobile eating establishment) | $220.66, HST included |
|---|---|
| Mobile Class 1, seasonal (6 months or less) | $88.24, HST included |
| Mobile Class 2 (pushcarts) | $88.24, HST included |
| Mobile Class 3 (other vendors) | $88.24, HST included |
The provincial permit is valid for one year from the issue date. Payment is by cheque or money order payable to the Minister of Finance. The Halifax vending licence fee is set separately by the municipality and is not stated on the pages opened for this guide.
Questions people ask
Do I need both a provincial permit and a Halifax licence for a food truck?
Yes, if you plan to sell from municipal land in Halifax. Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change issues the Food Establishment Permit that covers the truck itself, and Halifax Regional Municipality issues a separate food vending licence for a specific site under By-law C-501. The Halifax application asks for a copy of your valid health permit, so the provincial permit comes first.
How much is the Nova Scotia permit for a food truck?
A Mobile Class 1 permit, which is the class for a mobile eating establishment, costs $220.66 with HST included. A seasonal Mobile Class 1 permit for six months or less costs $88.24. The permit is valid for one year from the issue date, and payment is by cheque or money order payable to the Minister of Finance.
How big can a food service vehicle be in Halifax?
Halifax sets a maximum size of seven metres in length for a food service vehicle, including attachments such as generators and a trailer hitch. The vehicle must be licensed and registered under the Motor Vehicle Act, and food service vehicle sites are located on the street.
What documents does Halifax ask for with a food vending application?
The list includes a criminal record report dated within 30 days of applying, a photograph and description of the vehicle, a copy of the safety inspection certificate, a copy of the vehicle registration permit, a copy of your driver's licence, the location of the serving counter, a copy of your valid health permit, and proof of insurance for $2,000,000 in coverage naming Halifax Regional Municipality as additionally insured. If you do not own the vehicle, you also need written consent from the owner.
Can I sell from private property in Halifax without an HRM vending licence?
By-law C-501 only issues vending licences for specific sites on municipal land, so the HRM vending licence is tied to municipal sites. You still need the Nova Scotia Food Establishment Permit to operate the truck, and private property use is a separate question for the property owner and the municipality.
How long does the provincial permit take?
Nova Scotia lists a waiting period of 15 to 20 business days for an initial application and up to 15 business days for a renewal, provided everything that must accompany the application has been received. An on-site inspection is required before the permit can be issued.
Sources
- Halifax Regional Municipality, Food Vending Licence — the food service vehicle definition and seven-metre maximum, By-law C-501 site licensing on municipal land, first-come first-served processing, the online and in-person application routes and hours, the full document list including the 30-day criminal record report and $2,000,000 insurance naming the municipality, the serving counter rule, the inspection site at 7 Mellor Avenue and its checklist, and the festival displacement rule.
- Government of Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia Permits Directory — Food Establishment Permit — who needs the permit including mobile canteens, the Mobile Class 1 fee of $220.66 and seasonal fee of $88.24 with HST included, the one-year validity, the inspection before issue, the 15-to-20-business-day initial waiting period, payment by cheque or money order to the Minister of Finance, and the temporary event permit fees and 14-day limit.