As of July 1, 2026, every food truck, trailer, and cart in Houston needs a DSHS Mobile Food Vendor License — the Houston Health Department no longer issues or renews mobile food unit medallions. What is still local: the Houston Fire Marshal LP-gas permit if you use propane, your restroom and location letters, and event rules. Verified from official City of Houston pages.
Yes — one state license, plus whatever Houston still handles locally. Since July 1, 2026 the health license for every Texas mobile food vendor is the DSHS Mobile Food Vendor License (House Bill 2844, Health & Safety Code Chapter 437B). Cities and counties no longer issue the health permit. Fire, zoning/location, food handler, and event rules can still be local. Here is how that breaks down in Houston:
Required for every mobile food unit. Type I, II, or III — apply through DSHS Online Licensing.
No longer issued. "Beginning July 1, 2026, all mobile food unit permitting authority transfers to Texas DSHS." Plan-review applications stopped May 15, 2026.
Still required if your unit uses propane for anything. Annual (L1) or temporary/event (L3).
Not available to mobile food vendors after June 30, 2026 — the state rule prohibits them.
Not sure which box you fall in? Call or text (956) 592-2896 — you'll talk to a Texas operator who deals with DSHS every week, not a call center.
The state health license and the Houston rules are two separate processes. If you are opening a new truck with no current Texas license, this is the order that keeps you from calling the wrong office:
Haven’t built your truck yet? See the 5 best food truck builders in Houston, ranked by Google reviews.
New to the statewide license? Start with the complete HB 2844 guide →
Beginning July 1, 2026, every mobile food vendor operating in Houston and Harris County must hold a license issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services. A separate DSHS license is required for each food vending vehicle. Here is what Houston's own government says about it:
“Beginning July 1, 2026, all mobile food unit permitting authority transfers to Texas DSHS under HB 2844 and Chapter 226.”— Houston Health Department · official source · read 2026-09-29
The old City of Houston medallion is retired — the state now issues "one annual medallion/permit recognized throughout the state." If you still hold a Houston medallion, it is what makes you a Category 1 applicant; it is not a DSHS license.
Sells prepackaged food only. $309 DSHS application fee. No pre-licensing inspection fee. Examples: packaged snacks, bottled drinks, prepackaged meals.
Minimal food prep or ROP items. $618 application + $400 inspection = $1,018 in government fees. Examples: snow cones, hot dogs, deli items.
Cooks and serves made-to-order food. $876 application + $500 inspection = $1,376 in government fees. Examples: taco trucks, burger rigs, BBQ trailers.
CPF (commissary) rules are DSHS rules — the same statewide. Most Type II and III units need a licensed CPF or must qualify for the exemption. Read the CPF requirements →
HB 2844 moved the health license to the state. It did not touch fire codes, zoning, food handler programs, or event permits. This is what Houston and Harris County still run themselves — pulled from their official pages, with the source on every item.
If your truck uses LP-gas for cooking or to power equipment, the Houston Fire Marshal's Office requires a permit: the L1 annual LP-Gas permit for food trucks, or the L3 temporary permit for events. HFMO's own application steps now start with "Register with Texas Department of State Health Services," then HFMO emails you a notice to apply, you submit electronically, and schedule the inspection. The 2026 inspection points include cylinders upright and secured, an emergency shutoff valve, "No Smoking / No Fumar" signage, a gas alarm near LP appliances, a Type I hood, ABC and Type K extinguishers if you fry, and no extension cords. HFMO handles trucks that cook only with electricity, firewood, or charcoal on a separate, lighter track — if there is no LP-gas on your unit, confirm with HFMO which applies to you. Fee: $225.14 per the HFD information sheet for mobile food units (revised January 2024); HFMO's 2026 documents do not restate it — confirm at purchase.
Houston's mobile food unit rules require a restroom letter from a business within 500 meters of where you operate, plus a property letter / list of locations. The Health Department page also lists 16 approved servicing areas in its jurisdiction — and because of a city consent decree, only those city-approved servicing areas can supply your potable water and take your wastewater, so check the list before you sign a commissary agreement. Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) must be disposed of at a Houston-licensed facility operating under a valid FOG permit. Distance-from-restaurant and right-of-way rules were not published on the current pages we checked.
Inside the two downtown Districts of Limitation, the maximum single LP-gas container is limited to a 60-lb cylinder, per a Houston Fire Department council presentation (March 3, 2025). Enforcement is described as complaint-based.
Houston still issues temporary food permits for booths (applications now due at least 14 days before the event) — but the Health Department states the state rule "prohibits the issuance of temporary food dealer permits to mobile food vendors in the State of Texas after June 30, 2026." A truck at an event needs its annual DSHS license, not a temporary permit.
Fire permit, step by step: Houston food truck fire permit — fees, process, inspection points →
Deep dive: Houston Fire Marshal LP-gas requirements for food trucks →
Verified against official Houston / Harris County / DSHS pages on 2026-09-29. Local rules change without notice — if you were told something different, call us and we will check it with the source. See also: why the state permit doesn't cover fire inspections · how to get your Texas food truck permit, step by step.
The DSHS pre-licensing inspection covers 28 items. One deficiency means a failed inspection — and DSHS confirmed there's no re-inspection fee for routine corrections, so what it really costs you is time. Back in the queue while your truck sits, and operators are already reporting waits of several months. We review your operation in advance so you pass the first time.
Questions before you buy? Call or text (956) 592-2896 — you'll talk to an actual Texas operator, not a call center.
Whether you need a clear action plan or full-service filing, we work with Houston food truck operators at every stage of the DSHS process. Already have your truck? See the DSHS licensing plans. Still shopping? Get the truck audited before you buy.
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