Mobile Food Vending License

Obtain a NYS Certificate of Authority to Collect Sales Tax. You will need to provide this certificate when you apply for the license and register for the class. It takes approximately 20 days to receive your Certificate in the mail after applying online.

All applicants for a Mobile Food Vending License must pass the Food Protection Course for Mobile Food Vendors before they are issued a license. Applicants for the license will be required to register and pay for the course at the same time they apply for a license. You will receive your license in the mail in about a week after passing the final exam. You may not begin working on a mobile food vending unit until you receive your license.

You must provide proof of home address when you apply for this license. You may provide one of the following if it has your name on it:

If you do not have acceptable proof of your home address, you must submit a completed affidavit of home address form with your license application.

You will need to provide your Social Security Number (SSN) or an Individual Taxpayer ID.

You must provide a valid government issued photo ID (e.g., driver's license, passport, employment authorization card).

You must be cleared by the New York City Environmental Control Board to ensure you owe no outstanding fines. You can submit a Food Vendor Request for an Invoice to the Office of Administrative Tribunal and Hearings and they will notify you if you owe any fines. You must pay any outstanding fines before you can submit an application.  You may pay any fines at the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Citywide Licensing Center, located at 42 Broadway in Manhattan, or at the Environmental Control Board/OATH, located at 66 John Street, 10th floor, New York, New York 10038. 

There is no license fee if the applicant presents proof of honorable discharge from the U.S. Armed Services in the form of a New York State Peddler's Certificate or Form DD-214 (discharge document) from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This benefit is also available to a surviving spouse or domestic partner of a veteran with this proof.

List of Fees.