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.
Applies in: CA
Starting a food truck in Canada follows one pattern everywhere: the province or health authority approves the truck, and each city licences where it can sell. Item 1 applies to everyone. Items 2 to 5 apply only in the named city — follow the one for your city and skip the rest. Item 6 applies in Ontario, and item 7 applies everywhere. Each item names the live guide it rests on. Follow the linked guide for the full steps. Nothing here adds a new rule. The only fee stated here is the Toronto V15 total, verified on the City of Toronto's food trucks page at build time; all other fees are left to the linked city guides and the cities' own pages.
Work the list from the top. Learn the pattern first, then clear the health approval before the build is finished. Get one licence per city on the route — a licence from one city stops at that city's border.
Done when: you can state which health authority approves your truck and which cities you will need a licence from.
The permits and licences guide sets out the pattern every province follows and what each province and region actually asks. The rule is simple: the health authority approves the food premises side of the truck, and the municipality licences the vehicle and where it can sell. Read this guide first — it keeps you from applying to the wrong office.
Done when: the Motorized Refreshment Vehicle owner licence (the V15 licence) is in hand, and the mobile food vending permit is applied for.
This item applies only in Toronto. The Toronto guide covers the two licences in order, the Toronto Public Health check, the commissary, getting the truck road-ready, and where you can legally sell. The City of Toronto's food trucks page states that operating a food truck needs a motorized refreshment vehicle owner licence and a mobile food vending permit, and that a mobile vending permit application will not be processed without the V15 business licence. The V15 total fee is $1,464.14 — a $286.47 application fee plus a $1,177.67 licence fee — and applicants must provide proof of $2,000,000 in commercial general liability insurance. The mobile vending permit is sold by term (six, nine, or twelve months); check the City page for the current term prices. Food trucks are not allowed to operate on Gould Street, and on public roads a truck may operate for a maximum of 12 hours at a time.
Done when: Alberta Health Services has been called before the build, the Full Service Food Vehicle licence is applied for, and the annual inspections are passed.
This item applies only in Calgary. The Calgary guide covers calling Alberta Health Services before building, applying for the Full Service Food Vehicle licence, passing the annual inspections, knowing where you can legally sell, and not buying the wrong licence type. Call the health authority before spending on the build — a truck built to the wrong layout has to be rebuilt.
Done when: Vancouver Coastal Health has approved the truck, insurance and the business licence are in place, and the roaming food vending permit is applied for.
This item applies only in Vancouver. The Vancouver guide covers Vancouver Coastal Health approval, insurance and the business licence, applying for the roaming food vending permit, knowing where you can legally sell, and the separate Park Board route for parks and beaches. Parks and beaches need the Park Board route — the street permit does not cover them.
Done when: the operating route is picked, Vancouver Coastal Health approval is in hand, the fire inspection is passed, and the City of Richmond business licence is applied for.
This item applies only in Richmond, BC. The Richmond guide covers picking the operating route first, Vancouver Coastal Health approval, the fire inspection, and the City of Richmond business licence. Pick the route before applying — the route decides which approvals apply.
Done when: the three province-wide requirements are cleared, and one licence is budgeted for every city on the route.
This item applies in Ontario. The Ontario guide covers the three province-wide requirements under Ontario Regulation 493/17, the Food Premises regulation under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, and the one-licence-per-city rule: a municipal food truck licence stops at the city border, so a Toronto licence covers none of Mississauga, Brampton, or Hamilton. The guide also covers picking the operating model — streets, private land, or events — and securing the prep base. Contact the health unit for every municipality you plan to operate in before applying for that municipality's licence.
Done when: any propane or natural gas installation has been inspected by a certified technician, and a commissary or prep base is secured.
This item applies everywhere. The permits and licences guide has a section on the propane and fire file and a section on the commissary question. The City of Toronto's food trucks page requires proof of a propane or natural gas inspection by a certified technician where propane or a natural gas heater is used. Most cities require a commissary or service base for prep, cleaning, and stocking — secure it before the truck is finished, not after.
This checklist states one fee only: the Toronto V15 total of $1,464.14, verified on the City of Toronto's food trucks page at build time. Other cities' fees are stated in the linked city guides, and municipal fee schedules change yearly. Check the current fee schedule on each city's licensing page before you apply.
Done when: the renewal date for each licence and permit is on the calendar, and the renewal cost is in the budget.
A food truck licence is not a one-time purchase. In Toronto, the Motorized Refreshment Vehicle owner licence expires annually on the anniversary of the date it was first issued, and the expiry date is written on the licence. The City mails a courtesy renewal notice listing the documents required, but the licensee is responsible for keeping the licence valid while operating. The Toronto renewal fee is $973.91. A licence that is not renewed under the bylaw is cancelled, and the operator has to reapply from the start. Other cities run their own renewal cycles and fees: record each city's renewal date when the licence is issued, and renew the health approval and insurance on the same calendar.
One per city. A municipal food truck licence stops at the city border — a Toronto licence covers none of Mississauga, Brampton, or Hamilton, and the same applies everywhere else. Budget one licence application for every municipality on your route. The Ontario guide on this site states this rule, and the permits guide covers the pattern across the provinces.
The health authority approves the truck itself — the layout, the equipment, and the food handling — while the city licences where the truck can sell. You need both. In Toronto, for example, Toronto Public Health inspects the truck and the City issues the vehicle licence and the mobile vending permit. One does not replace the other.
Two things, in order: a Motorized Refreshment Vehicle owner licence (the V15 licence) and then a mobile food vending permit. The City will not process a mobile vending permit application without the V15 business licence. The City's food trucks page states the total V15 fee as $1,464.14 — a $286.47 application fee plus a $1,177.67 licence fee — and requires proof of $2,000,000 in commercial general liability insurance.
In most cities, yes. A commissary — a licensed commercial kitchen used as the truck's service base — is where food is prepared and the truck is cleaned and stocked. Toronto requires a commissary address on the truck, and the Toronto guide covers how to secure one. Check the guide for your city before buying a truck.
If the truck uses propane or natural gas, the installation must be inspected by a certified technician, and the city fire service may inspect the truck as well. The permits guide on this site has a section on the propane and fire file. Do not skip this — a failed fire inspection stalls the licence.
No, except for the Toronto V15 total, which was verified on the City of Toronto's food trucks page at build time. Other cities' fees are stated in the linked city guides, and municipal fee schedules change yearly — check the current schedule on each city's licensing page before you apply.
The only fee stated in this checklist is the Toronto V15 total of $1,464.14, verified on the City of Toronto's food trucks page at build time. Re-check the linked guide and its official source on the day you act, because the source page governs over this summary.