Food Truck Inspection Checklist

In LA County, operating without a commissary contract is one of four findings that suspends a permit outright, at eleven points each. Three of the four permit-killers are paperwork or plumbing, not food handling.

1. Valid public health permit for this unit, posted visibly.Cal. H&S
2. Operation stays inside the permit's scope: a prepackaged permit does not cover cutting fruit; a limited-prep approval does not cover thawing.LA County
3. Written commissary agreement in force with an approved commissary; servicing schedule current.California law requires every mobile food facility to operate in conjunction with an approved commissary or support unit (H&S 114295).Cal. H&S
4. Route sheet up to date and physically on the truck.LA County
5. Most recent routine inspection report on the unit or producible; electronic is acceptable.LA County
6. Grade or score card and public notice posted as your jurisdiction requires.LA County
7. Food handler cards and manager certification current and on the unit.Field
8. Required signage posted: handwashing, no smoking, restroom notice where applicable.LA County
9. Exterior identification correct: name at least 3 inches high, address at least 1 inch, contrasting color, both sides of a motorized vehicle.One photo per side with a tape in frame settles the letter height.LA County
10. Driver's license, plate, and insurance proof available where the fire authority requires them.TX fire form
11. Cleaning schedules, ingredient records, and completed daily checklists retained on the unit.Field

The truck-killers live here. In LA County, no water available and sewage problems each suspend the permit on the spot. The numbers below come from the regulators' own forms and appear on no vendor checklist.

1. Potable water supply adequate, protected, and pressurized whenever open food is handled.No water means the truck stops immediately.LA County
2. Freshwater tank of approved material, enclosed, with an access port for cleaning or an approved written cleaning procedure.LA County
3. Wastewater tank at least 15 percent larger by volume than the freshwater tank.The single most useful number on this page. Photograph both tanks with their capacity markings: the highest-value photo on a food truck, and almost nobody takes it.FL DBPR form
4. Water tank inlet three-quarters of an inch inner diameter or less, with a hose connection that prevents any other use.Food Code
5. Inlet and outlet fittings covered when not in use.Food Code
6. Potable hoses identified as potable and used for nothing else; no unidentified hoses on board.LA County
7. Tank, pump, and hoses flushed and sanitized after construction, repair, modification, or non-use.Food Code
8. No wastewater discharging outside the unit; no equipment draining onto the truck floor or into a bucket.The bucket under the steam table is a photograph that scores itself.LA County
9. Wastewater disposed only through an approved system at the commissary; mop water never dumped outside.Food Code
10. Water heater sized to the operation: 4 gallons with a warewashing sink, half a gallon for handwash-only units.The heater's data plate photographs.LA County
11. Hot water at least 120F at prep and warewashing sinks; handwash water 100F to 108F.LA County
12. Handwash sink integral to the unit, accessible, unobstructed, handwashing-only, stocked with soap and towels.Field
13. Hand sink separated from the warewash sink by a six-inch metal splashguard or 24 inches of distance.LA County
14. Three-compartment sink installed and working, with drainboards or equivalent, sized for your largest utensil.FL DBPR form
15. Commissary servicing area covered overhead, sloped and drained, with adequate power.Food Code

These numbers come from a fire marshal's actual checklist, citing the 2021 International Fire Code. The tags matter more than the equipment: an extinguishing system without a current inspection tag fails.

1. Type I exhaust hood over every appliance producing grease-laden vapors.TX fire form
2. Automatic fire extinguishing system installed, with a current inspection tag on the system itself.Read the tag, photograph the tag.TX fire form
3. Class K portable extinguisher on board with a current tag; at least one portable extinguisher is also a Florida licensing minimum.TX fire form
4. Exhaust system inspected and cleaned.TX fire form
5. Cooking oil aggregate at or under 120 gallons; metallic tanks listed to UL 80 or UL 142; nonmetallic tanks listed for oil and at or under 200 gallons; normal and emergency vents present.TX fire form
6. LP-gas: aggregate at or under 200 pounds, cylinders mounted and restrained, system inspected by a licensed plumber within 12 months, gas alarm installed near the components.Cylinders, restraint, alarm, and the plumber's tag all photograph.TX fire form
7. CNG, where used: aggregate at or under 1,300 pounds water capacity, NGV-2 cylinders, restrained, out of impact zones, plumber-inspected within 12 months, methane alarm on board.TX fire form
8. Power provision matches the approved plans, whether electrical, LP-gas, or generator.FL DBPR form
9. Extinguishers checked on your own 30-day cycle between annual services.Field

1. Approved, stamped drawings and the spec worksheet on the unit; no undocumented changes to the approved plan.FL DBPR form
2. Floors, walls, and ceilings smooth, non-absorbent, easily cleanable; weather stripping on outer openings.FL DBPR form
3. Lights installed, functioning, and fitted with shields.FL DBPR form
4. Covered trash container on board.FL DBPR form
5. Self-service condiments in dispensers or prepackaged, never open bulk.FL DBPR form
6. Consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked animal food; oyster warning where applicable.FL DBPR form
7. Chemical test kit on board for sanitizer and wiping-cloth buckets.FL DBPR form

A truck has almost no cold-holding margin: ambient heat, door-open frequency, and the transport leg from the commissary make temperature a different problem than in a building.

1. Every holding unit works and carries a thermometer; a stem thermometer scaled 0-220F is on board.FL DBPR form
2. Cold TCS food at 41F or below, hot at 135F or above, read at service start and mid-service.Food Code
3. Cold and frozen product temperature verified on arrival from the commissary, before loading.The transport leg is where a truck's cold chain breaks, and it is the leg nobody inspects. Probe in the case with the delivery visible.Field
4. Raw animal product below and separate from ready-to-eat in every unit, under-counter drawers included.Food Code
5. Containers labeled and dated; ready-to-eat TCS food over 24 hours date-marked, 7-day maximum, prep day is Day 1.Food Code
6. Food in containers with tight-fitting lids, nothing open in the cold unit, nothing on the floor.Field
7. Paper products and single-service items stored clean and protected in a dedicated enclosed space.There is no dry-storage room on a truck; the dedicated space is a decision you have to make.Field
8. Sanitizer at approved concentration, strip-read; wiping cloths held in sanitizer between uses.Food Code
9. No bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food without an approved alternative operating procedure.FL DBPR form
10. Hair restraints, clean clothing, plain-ring-only jewelry; eating and drinking in a designated area you have actually designated.Food Code
11. No pest evidence in the unit or its compartments.On a mobile unit, an infestation finding can close you for a minimum of 48 hours.LA County

1. Pre-service walkaround: tires, body damage, window cracks, lights, and nothing shifted on the roof or awning.A four-corner photo set takes ninety seconds and is the cheapest insurance on this list.Field
2. Recovery kit on board: spare tire, jack, jumper cables, flashlight, a quart of oil, a funnel.A breakdown at 11 am is a cold-holding failure by 1 pm.Field
3. Gas cylinders, tanks, and heavy equipment restrained for travel before every move, not just at inspection.Field