Houston Fire Marshal Food Truck Requirements: What's Separate From Your DSHS License

Most guides to Texas food truck permitting stop at the DSHS license. That's a problem if you operate in Houston, because the fire marshal's requirements run on a completely separate track — and they're specific enough that a generic statewide guide won't catch them.

Three Separate Approvals, Not One

If you're operating a food truck in Houston after July 1, 2026, you're dealing with three distinct processes, each through a different agency:

• DSHS Mobile Food Vendor License — the new statewide license required under HB 2844, replacing the old city-issued permit system.
• Houston Health Department medallion inspection — the city's own food safety inspection, which continues even after the DSHS transition, now operating under state authority.
• Houston Fire Marshal's Office inspection and LP-gas permit — a separate fire-safety review, with its own fee, its own timeline, and its own equipment standards.

None of these three substitutes for the other two. Passing your DSHS inspection does not mean you've satisfied the fire marshal, and having a current Health Department medallion does not mean your LP-gas setup is approved.

The LP-Gas Permit, Specifically

If your truck cooks with propane, this is the part that catches operators off guard. Houston requires an annual LP-Gas permit approved by the Fire Marshal's Office, processed at 1002 Washington Avenue. As of this writing, the permit fee is $225.14.

If you're sharing a property with other mobile food units, each one needs its own individual LP-gas permit — there's no covering multiple trucks under a single approval, even at the same address.

The 25-Foot Rule

This is a spacing requirement most operators have never heard of until it costs them a spot at an event. Mobile food units using any amount of LP-gas cannot operate within 25 feet of another unit also using LP-gas. The only exception is at fire-marshal-approved special events, where that minimum distance drops to 10 feet. If you're booking a lineup of trucks for an event yourself, this is worth confirming with the venue or event coordinator before you commit spots.

Other Fire Marshal Equipment Requirements

Beyond the LP-gas permit itself, Houston's fire inspection covers a list of equipment standards that show up repeatedly in failed inspections:

• An automatic fire extinguishing system over cooking equipment, inspected every 6 months with a current inspection tag.
• A gas shutoff valve located outside the unit, easily accessible in an emergency, with an approved "Emergency Shutoff Valve" sign visible nearby.
• "No Smoking" signage approved by the Fire Marshal, visible near any propane containers.
• A ventilation hood system with complete coverage over all cooking equipment — no gaps, no missing filters, no solid metal pieces substituted for extractor filters.
• Electrical cables that are clean, undamaged, and assembled by a licensed electrician — double-male connections and self-assembled splices are not accepted at inspection.

If You're Outside Houston City Limits

Operating in unincorporated Harris County instead of inside Houston proper doesn't mean you skip this. The Harris County Fire Marshal's Office requires its own operational permit for mobile food preparation vehicles in unincorporated areas, separate from both the city's process and the county health department's CPF rules. Confirm which jurisdiction actually applies to your operating location before assuming either set of rules covers you.

Where to Find the Current Forms

Houston's Fire Department publishes its mobile food unit fire inspection guidance directly, and as of this writing it's available in both English and Spanish — a detail worth knowing if you'd rather work through the requirements in Spanish first before your inspection. The self-assessment pages are the fastest way to check your setup before the fire marshal does.

This guide reflects fire marshal and LP-gas requirements as published by the City of Houston as of June 2026. Fees, forms, and procedures are set by the Houston Fire Marshal's Office and Harris County Fire Marshal's Office and can change — always confirm current requirements directly with those offices before your inspection.