Starting a Food Truck in Canada Checklist
Starting a food truck in Canada: clear your province's health rules, get the municipal licence for each city, and sort insurance and the prep base.
How to Start a Food Truck in Vancouver
How to start a food truck in Vancouver: the roaming food vending permit, 2026 fees, Vancouver Coastal Health approval, and where trucks may and may not sell.
Applies in: British Columbia
The short answer
A Vancouver food truck needs three approvals before it sells anything: a Vancouver Coastal Health food service permit, a current City of Vancouver business licence, and a City roaming food vending permit — plus a place to trade that the roaming rules actually allow. The health permit and the business licence feed into the roaming permit application, so get those underway first. And unlike Toronto, Vancouver's roaming permit is cheap — $416.84 a year plus GST for a motorized unit — because what the City really rations is where you can stop, not the permit itself. Downtown west of Main Street is closed to roaming vendors, you must stay 100 metres from similar restaurants, and you have to keep moving.
The two permits, and the licence underneath them
Vancouver's street food system has two vending permits, and they do different jobs:
Roaming food vending permit. This is the permit most food trucks use. It allows food and non-alcoholic drinks to be sold on City property from a vending unit that may change locations. You need one permit for each vending unit you operate. For 2026 the fee is $416.84 per year plus GST for a motorized unit (a food truck) and $209.21 per year plus GST for a non-motorized unit (a bike or push cart), with a $69.85 application fee paid on application. The fees are set in the City's Street Vending By-law as amended for 2026 (By-law No. 14532, in force January 1, 2026).
Stationary food vending permit. This is the fixed-spot downtown permit, for a named location. For 2026 it costs $1,545.04 per year plus GST, valid from May 1 to April 30 of the following year — but the City states stationary applications will not be available for 2026, with applications normally accepted in February only if locations are available. Do not plan a launch around winning a stationary spot.
Underneath both: a City of Vancouver business licence. The roaming permit application welcomes you only if you have a current City business licence, along with valid liability and vehicle insurance, a criminal record search, and a valid health permit. The City's published roaming information does not state the business licence fee, so confirm the current fee on the City's business licence pages before you budget.
A third route exists for parks and beaches, which the roaming permit does not cover at all — see the parks section below.
Step 1: Vancouver Coastal Health approval
Vancouver sits in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, so that health authority issues your food service permit. Every operator of a food service establishment must have a valid annual permit, and the list expressly includes mobile food service providers. The permit is not transferable to a new owner or to a temporary event.
Your application needs:
- A Food Service Permit Application Form for the truck as a food service establishment
- A Food Safety Plan and a Sanitation Plan, developed and implemented for the premises
- A Mobile Commissary Agreement showing your commissary access, including the location, procedures for filling water tanks, and procedures for disposing of wastewater
- The owner or operator must hold a valid FOODSAFE Level 1 certificate or its equivalent; when the owner or operator is away, at least one employee must hold it
The BC-wide design and construction rules for the truck itself sit in the BCCDC Mobile Food Premises Guidelines (July 2024): plans and specifications for construction or alteration of a mobile unit must be approved by a health officer before you build, and you need a valid operating permit or written approval before you start trading. Get the health authority involved before the build is finished — moving plumbing and sinks after the fact is the expensive way to do it.
Step 2: Insurance and the business licence
As a condition of being granted a roaming permit, you must show proof of liability insurance meeting these minimums:
- $2,000,000 inclusive limit for public liability and property damage
- A cross liability clause
- The City of Vancouver named as an insured
No permit is granted until proof of insurance has been received. You also need valid vehicle insurance for the truck, and a current City of Vancouver business licence. Sort the insurance and the licence before you apply for the roaming permit — the application asks for copies of both, and an incomplete application is the usual cause of delay.
Step 3: Apply for the roaming food vending permit
Apply online through the City: register an online account and submit the application. The City asks for:
- A completed details form (downloadable when applying)
- A copy of your provincial health permit
- A copy of your current business licence
- Valid liability insurance
- A copy of your motor vehicle insurance
- A criminal record search
- The permit fees
- A waste management plan for your vending unit
The waste management plan is not a formality. The City requires you to separate waste into a minimum of three streams — recyclable, compostable organics, and general garbage — collect and remove all waste from your operation, and show a commitment to reducing packaging, using recyclable or compostable packaging and utensils where possible. Provide a minimum of three separate receptacles at the vending site for staff and customers, and take all waste streams back to the commissary for disposal.
Step 4: Know where you can legally sell
This is where Vancouver differs most from other Canadian cities. The roaming permit gives you mobility, not freedom: the City lists where vending is not allowed, and the list is long.
Never, under a roaming permit:
- Outside the hours noted on your permit
- Downtown, on streets west of Main Street and north of False Creek
- Within one block of grade schools on school days from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Within park boundaries (including parking lots), beaches, school grounds, or private properties
- Within 100 metres of park concession stands
- Within one city block of the PNE and Hastings Park site during any event, festival, the annual exhibition, and the Playland operating season
The 100-metre restaurant rule. Roaming vendors must stay 100 metres away from restaurants that sell a similar food product, concept, or theme. The City's own example: a roaming vendor parked less than 100 metres from a juice business may not sell only juice — too similar — but may sell breakfast items including juice, because juice is then only one item on the menu. Your menu breadth is a location tool, not just a sales choice.
Capped locations. Some popular spots have their own truck caps:
| Location | Cap |
|---|---|
| Olympic Village | Maximum four trucks for the entire village area; two at a time at the village square, two at a time at Hinge Park |
| Terminal Avenue (Station Street to Thornton Street) | Maximum two vendors per day |
| Railway Street (Gore Avenue to Jackson Street) | Maximum three vendors per day; side streets off Railway Street not permitted |
| Spanish Banks (NW Marine Drive) | Maximum two vendors, parked between the street and the sidewalk or walking path; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. only; at most two days per seven-day week; not in Parks Board parking lots; restricted west of 4668 NW Marine Drive and along NW Marine Drive from Sasamat to Belmont |
How long at one spot. A roaming unit must be legally parked when stopped, must be operational within 60 minutes of arrival, and must move to a new location if there are no customers after 60 minutes. Pay the meter where you park; you are exempt from hourly parking limits while operating. Someone must be in attendance at all times. Trailer vending units must remain attached to a motorised vehicle at all times, and units must follow NFPA Standard 96 for ventilation control and fire protection. Sound systems may play no louder than 65 dBA measured at 10 metres directly in front of the unit, with the volume fixed so the operator cannot turn it above the limit. Breaches can mean confiscation of goods, suspension, or cancellation of the permit.
Step 5: Parks and beaches — the separate Park Board route
The roaming permit explicitly excludes parks and beaches, which is painful because those are exactly where summer crowds are. The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation runs its own annual Summer Food Truck Program for park sites, with permits issued through a request for expressions of interest that goes out in the spring. For 2026 the fee was $593 plus GST per location per month, or $682 plus GST at premium locations, for a season running May 15 to October 12, 2026, with a weekly minimum of five days of operation and a daily minimum of four to six hours. Your commissary must be approved by Vancouver Coastal Health as a food preparation facility, and units using generators are not permitted at beach sites. If parks are core to your plan, watch for the February request for expressions of interest — the Park Board season is a separate application from the City roaming permit, and you need a truck already ready to operate to apply.
What the whole launch costs
The City fees above are the fixed floor, and they are low by Canadian standards — the roaming permit is $416.84 a year. The truck and the build are where the money goes, and published Canadian estimates cluster in three bands:
| Launch route | All-in startup range |
|---|---|
| Used truck, basic setup | $40,000 to $95,000 |
| Used truck, fully fitted out | $95,000 to $210,000 |
| New, fully equipped | $175,000 to $290,000 and up |
These are ranges reported by Canadian industry sources, not quotes: Kimecopak reports $95,000 to $210,000 CAD for a used-truck startup and over $290,000 for a new fully-equipped truck, and Zensurance puts the overall band at $40,000 to $200,000. The line items behind the totals:
| Cost item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Truck, used | $30,000 to $100,000 |
| Truck, new | $50,000 to $175,000 |
| Kitchen retrofit on a used vehicle | $15,000 and up |
| Roaming permit (motorized) | $416.84 per year plus GST (Vancouver, fixed for 2026) |
| Application fee | $69.85 (Vancouver, fixed for 2026) |
| Liability insurance | $2,000,000 cover required; premium by quote |
| Startup inventory and serveware | $1,400 to $5,500 |
Testing the rent-or-buy choice moves this table more than any other single decision. A first-season rental dodges most of the truck cost above, and our rent-or-buy calculator lets you compare both routes with your own numbers before you sign.
Mistakes that stall Vancouver applications
The most common stall is applying for the roaming permit before the health and licence pieces are ready. The application asks for copies of both, so a permit application without them goes nowhere. The second is picking a pitch before checking the map: a downtown corner west of Main Street, a spot inside a park, or a pitch 50 metres from a restaurant selling the same food are all non-starters, and the City enforces the 100-metre restaurant rule by concept, not just by cuisine category. The third is treating a health permit from another health authority as enough on its own — the City asks for your provincial health permit, and the commissary and the truck both sit under Vancouver Coastal Health, so confirm with the City before relying on a permit issued elsewhere. Finally, do not skip the commissary. The health application needs a Mobile Commissary Agreement with water-fill and wastewater procedures, and a home kitchen does not meet that requirement.
Rules and fees are current as of November 2026, including the 2026 fee schedule in force from January 1, 2026. Confirm fees and permit conditions on the City pages before applying — fees change annually.
Related guides
- How to start a food truck in Ontario — the province-wide companion: Ontario's V15 licence and Mobile Vending permit, health rules under O. Reg. 493/17, and city-by-city licence fees outside Toronto.
- How to start a food truck in Richmond, BC — the neighbouring-city companion: same Vancouver Coastal Health approval, different city rules — nine approved No. 3 Road sidewalk locations and a Temporary Commercial Use Permit for private property.
- Food truck permits and licences in Canada — the national map: which level of government issues what, and how the permit picture changes city by city.
- How to start a sole proprietorship in BC — the BC business-registration companion: registering the business name behind the truck.
- How to register a sole proprietorship and get a GST/HST number in Canada — the business-paperwork side of the food truck: business-name registration, the CRA business number, and the $30,000 GST/HST threshold.
- Sole prop or incorporated? Take the 5-question quiz — the roaming permit accepts any business structure; the quiz helps you pick before you apply.
Starting a food truck in Vancouver, in five steps
- Get Vancouver Coastal Health approval firstApply for a food service permit with your menu, Food Safety Plan, Sanitation Plan, Mobile Commissary Agreement, and FOODSAFE Level 1 certificate.
- Get a City of Vancouver business licenceA current City business licence is a qualification for the roaming permit, so sort the licence before you apply to vend on City property.
- Arrange $2 million liability insuranceThe City requires $2,000,000 inclusive public liability and property damage cover, with a cross liability clause and the City named as an insured.
- Apply for the roaming food vending permitApply online with your health permit, business licence, insurance, vehicle insurance, criminal record search, waste management plan, and fees.
- Trade only where roaming vending is allowedRoam outside the downtown exclusion zone, 100 metres from similar restaurants and park concessions, and move on if there are no customers after 60 minutes.
Vancouver food-truck permits and fees, 2026
| Roaming food vending permit, motorized unit | $416.84 per year, plus GST |
|---|---|
| Roaming food vending permit, non-motorized unit | $209.21 per year, plus GST |
| Street vendor application fee | $69.85, exclusive of sales tax |
| Stationary food vending permit | $1,545.04 per year, plus GST |
| Daily mobile vendor (outside special event zones) | $50.21 per day |
| Park Board summer food cart, per location per month | $593 plus GST ($682 plus GST at premium locations) |
| Liability insurance required | $2,000,000 inclusive limit |
Roaming and stationary fees are from the City of Vancouver's Street Vending By-law as amended for 2026 (By-law No. 14532, in force January 1, 2026). The City's business licence fee is not stated in the sources reviewed for this guide — confirm it on the City's business licence pages before you budget.
Questions people ask
What permits do I need to run a food truck in Vancouver?
Three layers. A Vancouver Coastal Health food service permit for the truck as a mobile food premises. A current City of Vancouver business licence. And a City roaming food vending permit, which is what lets you sell food and non-alcoholic drinks on City property from a unit that changes locations. You need one roaming permit for each vending unit you operate.
How much does a Vancouver food truck permit cost?
For 2026, the roaming food vending permit costs $416.84 per year plus GST for a motorized unit (a food truck) and $209.21 per year plus GST for a non-motorized unit, with a $69.85 application fee. A stationary food vending permit for a fixed downtown spot costs $1,545.04 per year plus GST, but the City states stationary applications will not be available for 2026. On top of the permit fees you need $2,000,000 in liability insurance, with the City of Vancouver named as an insured.
Where can a food truck sell in Vancouver?
Roaming vendors sell on City property, but large areas are off-limits: downtown streets west of Main Street and north of False Creek, within one block of grade schools on school days from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., inside park boundaries including parking lots, on beaches and school grounds, on private property, and within 100 metres of park concession stands. You must also stay 100 metres from restaurants that sell a similar food product, concept, or theme. Some spots have their own caps, including Olympic Village (four trucks in the area), Terminal Avenue (two vendors a day), Railway Street (three a day), and Spanish Banks (two vendors, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., at most two days a week). Vending is also banned within one city block of the PNE and Hastings Park site during events, the annual exhibition, and the Playland season.
What does Vancouver Coastal Health require for a food truck?
Every operator of a food service establishment, including mobile food service providers, must hold a valid annual food service permit. You submit a Food Service Permit Application Form with your Food Safety Plan and Sanitation Plan, plus a Mobile Commissary Agreement showing your commissary access and how you fill water tanks and dispose of wastewater. The owner or operator must hold a FOODSAFE Level 1 certificate or equivalent, and at least one employee must hold it when the owner or operator is away.
Can I sell in Vancouver's parks and beaches?
Not under the roaming permit: vending is not allowed within park boundaries, including parking lots, or on beaches. Parks have their own route instead. The Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation runs an annual summer mobile vending program for park sites, with permits issued through a spring request for expressions of interest. For 2026 the Park Board fee was $593 plus GST per location per month, or $682 plus GST at premium locations, for a season running May 15 to October 12, 2026, with a weekly minimum of five days of operation. Your commissary must be approved by Vancouver Coastal Health, and units using generators are not permitted at beach sites.
How long can my food truck stay in one spot in Vancouver?
A roaming unit must be legally parked when stopped, must be operational within 60 minutes of arrival at any site, and must move to a new location if there are no customers after 60 minutes. You must pay meter fees where you park, but you are exempt from hourly parking limits while operating. Someone must be in attendance at all times, and you must keep a rubbish and recycle bin for customers. There is no fixed daily pitch under a roaming permit: if you want a fixed spot, that is the stationary permit, not the roaming one.
Do I charge GST on food truck sales in Vancouver?
Yes. Prepared food sold by an eating establishment is taxable, and in British Columbia you charge 5% GST on restaurant meals; BC PST does not apply to meals. Once your taxable revenue passes $30,000 in a year you must register for GST/HST with the CRA, and registration also lets you claim input tax credits on the truck, ingredients, and equipment. See our sole-proprietorship and GST/HST guide for the registration steps.
Sources
- Roaming food vending information (City of Vancouver)
- A By-law to amend Street Vending By-law No. 10868 regarding 2026 fee increases (By-law No. 14532, City of Vancouver)
- Downtown: Stationary food vending permit (City of Vancouver)
- Park Board Food Cart Request for Proposal — 2026 (City of Vancouver)
- Food Service Permits and Health Approvals (Vancouver Coastal Health)
- Mobile Food Premises Guidelines, July 2024 (BCCDC)
- Bookkeeping for Restaurants in Canada: A Practical Guide (Opti-Val)
- How to Open a Food Truck in Canada: Costs, Permits & Checklist (Kimecopak)