How to Start a Food Truck in Mississippi: MSDH Mobile Food Unit Permit, Commissary and City Permits

If you want to know how to start a food truck business in Mississippi, the process is less about one big license and more about a sequence of separate approvals. Mississippi issues no general statewide business license. Your food truck will need an entity filing with the Secretary of State, a sales tax registration with the Department of Revenue, a mobile food unit permit from the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), a commissary arrangement, and a privilege license plus vehicle permit from each city where you plan to operate. This guide walks through that order, with the fees we could verify and the points you need to confirm yourself.

Informational content, not legal or tax advice. This article explains general Mississippi requirements as of October 2026. Fees, deadlines, and agency procedures change. Confirm every figure with the agency named before you spend money. For entity choice, tax treatment, lease terms, and employment questions, talk to a Mississippi attorney and a CPA.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather these items before you file anything. Most of the delays we see come from people who start the MSDH or city paperwork without a finished menu, a vehicle, or a commissary.

• A business name that you have checked against the Secretary of State business search at corp.sos.ms.gov. An LLC name must include "limited liability company," "L.L.C.," or "LLC."
• A Mississippi registered agent with a physical Mississippi street address.
• A federal Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS, which you can request at no cost.
• A finished menu with every item listed, because MSDH reviews what you will cook, hold, and sell.
• A vehicle and equipment list showing sinks, refrigeration, hot holding, water tanks, and generator details.
• A signed commissary or servicing area agreement with a non-residential facility.
• A certified food protection manager on your team, with a certificate you can show an inspector.
• Commercial insurance quotes covering general liability and commercial auto. Some cities set minimum liability limits, as Hattiesburg does at $500,000.
• A budget that covers all fees from the table later in this guide, plus the truck, equipment, insurance, and working capital.

Step 1: Form Your Business Entity

Most food truck owners in Mississippi form a limited liability company (LLC). The Certificate of Formation (Form F0100) costs $50 and is filed through the Secretary of State's online portal at corp.sos.ms.gov. Online filings are usually approved and filed immediately, and filings that need staff review are normally returned within 24 hours.

Before you file, reserve the name if you need time. A name reservation lasts 180 days and costs $25. The name must be distinguishable from any entity already on record with the Secretary of State.

Keep the registered agent in mind. Every Mississippi LLC must keep a registered office and registered agent. The agent can be an individual Mississippi resident or a business authorized to act in Mississippi. A commercial registered agent files a listing statement with the Secretary of State for $100. Using a commercial agent is a convenience, not a requirement.

If you plan to operate under a trade name such as "Delta Taco Co." instead of your LLC name, you need a fictitious business name registration (Form F0070). It is filed with the Secretary of State, not the county, and the fee is $25.

Calendar the annual report. LLCs must file the annual report (Form F0108) online by April 15 each year. There is no fee for it. Missing it can lead to administrative dissolution, which is an easy problem to avoid and a painful one to fix.

Tax treatment matters here. An LLC is generally a pass-through entity, so its income appears on the members' Mississippi returns. The franchise tax applies to corporations, not to an LLC taxed as a partnership. If you elect corporate tax treatment, the rules change, so ask your CPA before you choose.

Step 2: Register for an EIN and a Sales Tax Permit

Get your EIN from the IRS before you open a bank account, hire anyone, or apply for the sales tax permit. Then register with the Mississippi Department of Revenue (DOR) for a sales and use tax permit. The DOR's registration page is at dor.ms.gov.

The sales tax permit has no fee. The DOR describes it as a permit for the privilege of operating a business in Mississippi. A bond may be required if you have no permanent Mississippi location, which is common for a mobile business that is based elsewhere. Ask the DOR whether a bond applies to your situation.

Mississippi's state sales tax rate is 7%. There is no county add-on. Cities levy their own sales tax only in Jackson and Tupelo. If you operate in another city, the state rate is the rate, but confirm the local treatment of prepared food with the DOR before you set your menu prices.

Mississippi has no state minimum wage law. If you hire staff, you still need to follow federal wage rules and any other requirements that apply to your payroll, so confirm those with a CPA or payroll provider.

Step 3: Choose Your Commissary Before You Buy the Truck

MSDH generally requires a non-residential commissary or servicing area agreement for a mobile food unit. Your commissary is where you store, prep, clean, and fill water tanks, depending on your setup. Plan on this early, because the commissary terms shape your equipment list and your MSDH plan review.

Under the MSDH rules, you cannot prep or store food in a home. That rule applies even if your kitchen is licensed for other purposes. Look for a licensed commercial kitchen, a shared commissary, or a servicing area that will sign an agreement with your business name on it.

Get the agreement in writing. Ask the commissary for hours, cleaning and waste disposal arrangements, water and dump access, and their rules on restocking. Keep a signed copy with your MSDH packet.

Step 4: Request and Pay for the MSDH Plan Review

The MSDH Division of Food Protection permits mobile food units. Email [email protected] or call 601-364-2832 to request the plan review packet. Ask for the current version, because the forms and fees are updated from time to time.

The plan review fee is $224.25. Pay it online before the review starts. Do not buy equipment or sign a lease for a truck build based on a plan that MSDH has not reviewed. Changes after a review cost time and sometimes money.

Your plan should match your menu. List each food item, how it is prepared, how it is held hot or cold, where it is stored, and how it is served. Include a floor plan of the truck, the sink layout, the water tank sizes, and the generator. A plan that lists only the menu and skips the equipment usually comes back with questions.

Step 5: Hire a Certified Food Protection Manager and Pass Inspection

A certified food protection manager is required for your mobile food unit. Certification must come from a recognized program, so check that your course and exam are accepted by MSDH before you pay for them. Keep the certificate with your permit records and show it to inspectors on request.

Once the plan is approved and the truck is built to the plan, MSDH will inspect the unit. Ask the MSDH office to confirm the inspection sequence, what they check at each stage, and whether you need a pre-operation visit before opening. Clean, labeled equipment and a well-organized commissary binder make inspections go faster.

Step 6: Pay the Annual MSDH Permit Fee

After your unit passes, you pay an annual permit fee set by risk level. Per the MSDH page reviewed in September 2024, the annual fee is $40, $132.25, $198, or $264.50, depending on the risk category assigned to your operation. The category depends on what you cook and how you handle it, so the menu you submitted in the plan review sets the tier. Fees are subject to change, so confirm the current amount and the tier that applies to you with MSDH.

Plan for renewal. Set a calendar reminder for the renewal date on your permit, and budget for the fee before you need it.

Step 7: Get an ABC Permit if You Serve Alcohol

If your truck will serve liquor or wine, you need an ABC food truck permit from the Mississippi Alcoholic Beverage Control agency in addition to your MSDH permit. The combined fee listed for this permit is $225. Confirm the current amount and what the combined fee covers with ABC before you apply, and ask whether any local rules apply in the cities where you plan to serve.

Step 8: Obtain Your City Privilege License and Vehicle Permit

Mississippi has no state general business license. Instead, every city, town, and village issues its own privilege license under Miss. Code 27-17. Counties license only businesses outside municipal limits, so if you park inside a city, the city is the authority you need. Many cities also require a separate permit for each food vehicle, and some permits run for a short period rather than a full year.

The figures below are the ones we could verify from city ordinances and city pages. Other cities differ, so ask the city clerk before you plan a route.

City	What is required	Cost and terms
Hattiesburg	Permit under Ord. 3286, private property only	$250 a year, or $125 if applied after July 1. Requires $500,000 in liability insurance.
Biloxi	Privilege license under Ord. 2534 plus a per-vehicle permit, with an MSDH permit	Vehicle permit valid up to 90 days, renewable once. Confirm the privilege license fee with the city.
Starkville	Transient vendor license	$100 for the first 3 months, then $25 per renewal.
Cleveland	City permit	$250 for 90 days.
All other cities	Confirm with the city clerk	Fees and terms differ by city. Do not assume a figure from another city.

Ask the clerk these questions in writing when you can:

• Is a privilege license, a vehicle permit, or both required, and what is each fee?
• Does the permit cover parking on public streets, private lots, or both?
• Are there minimum insurance limits, and do they name the city as an additional insured?
• Do you need a fire inspection or any other inspection before the first day?
• How do renewals work, and what is the deadline?

Step 9: Insure and Register the Truck

Ask an insurance agent for quotes on general liability and commercial auto coverage at the same time you request the MSDH packet. Some cities set minimum limits, and an event organizer may require a certificate of insurance before you can park. Ask whether you need workers' compensation coverage once you hire staff, and confirm the requirement with your agent or a Mississippi attorney.

Title and register the vehicle, and ask your insurer and county tax collector which registration class applies to a food truck. If you are buying a used truck, have it inspected for mechanical condition before you invest in the build-out, since a rebuilt kitchen on a failing chassis is an expensive lesson.

Tips for Getting It Right the First Time

• Build the paperwork in order. Entity, EIN, sales tax, commissary, MSDH plan review, then equipment. Reversing the order is the most common reason for rework.
• Put the commissary in your MSDH packet. An unsigned or vague agreement slows the review.
• Match the menu to the equipment. If a dish needs a cold hold, plan the refrigeration before you order the truck.
• Keep a single binder. Include your entity documents, EIN letter, sales tax permit, MSDH permit, certified manager certificate, commissary agreement, insurance certificate, and each city permit.
• Use the Small Business Development Center. The Mississippi Small Business Development Center Network has 19 locations statewide and is hosted by the University of Mississippi. Its advisors can review your business plan and budget at no cost. Visit mississippisbdc.org.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Prepping food at home. MSDH rules do not allow food prep or storage in a home, so do not plan your first batch around your kitchen.
• Buying the truck before the plan is approved. Equipment that does not match the reviewed plan can mean a rebuild.
• Assuming one city permit covers the whole state. Each city issues its own license, so a permit from one city does not carry over to another.
• Using old fee figures. The MSDH annual fee tiers come from a September 2024 page. Confirm the current numbers before you budget.
• Skipping the ABC permit. Serving a glass of wine without the permit creates a bigger problem than the fee.
• Missing the April 15 LLC annual report. There is no fee, but a missed filing can lead to administrative dissolution.
• Parking on private property without permission. Some cities, including Hattiesburg, limit permits to private property, and property owners may require their own insurance certificate.

What Results to Expect

Starting a food truck in Mississippi typically takes several weeks of paperwork before the truck can serve the public, and the timeline depends on how quickly you finish the plan, the build-out, and each city's review. Operators who keep their documents in one binder and confirm each fee before paying tend to spend less time on rework. Revenue depends on your menu, location, competition, and the events you choose, so no timeline or sales figure in this guide is a promise. Treat any projection from a vendor or consultant as an estimate to test, not a guarantee.

Do not describe your food as curing, treating, or preventing any condition, and avoid health claims on your menu, truck wrap, or social media posts. Keep marketing language about ingredients and taste, and let MSDH and your menu labels cover the food safety details.

Next Steps

1. Check your business name and file the Certificate of Formation if you are forming an LLC.
2. Calendar the April 15 annual report and register for the DOR sales tax permit.
3. Sign a commissary agreement and request the MSDH plan review packet at [email protected] or 601-364-2832.
4. Pay the $224.25 plan review fee online before review starts.
5. Call the clerk in each city where you plan to park and get the permit fees in writing.
6. Ask a CPA and a Mississippi attorney to review your entity choice, tax treatment, and any lease or hiring plans before you sign.

This article is informational and is not legal or tax advice. Verify each fee, deadline, and requirement with the agency or city named, and consult a qualified attorney or CPA for decisions that affect your liability or taxes.