Opening a Mobile Unit

It is the responsibility of the applicant to meet the requirements of all the agencies with jurisdiction over this food and/or beverage establishment prior to opening. This may include, but is not limited to: zoning, plumbing, electrical, building, planning, sewer and water, fire marshal, FOG program for grease interceptors, utilities, public works, ODOT, OLCC, and/or Oregon-OSHA.

Business Owners (including Mobile Units and restaurants) are required to annually file business personal property returns and may be taxed. Please contact the Assessor’s office for more information.

Check with the local city you wish to operate in and Community Development for permitting requirements. A sign-off will be required in order to be approved.

Licensing a Mobile Unit

A mobile food unit is a portable vehicle where food is prepared, sold, and/or dispensed to a consumer. Mobile food units include: drive-through espresso carts, hotdog carts, and full-service trailers.

If you’re not sure if this is the correct type of license, please click here: What kind of license do I need?

A mobile unit must meet the following requirements:

  • The unit must be a vehicle and not require a special permit from the Oregon Department of Transportation to be moved.
  • Mobile food units must be on wheels and have the ability to be mobile at all times during operation and have no permanent connection to any utility service (including water, sewer, or electrical).
  • The unit and all operations and equipment must be integral to the unit.

All mobile units must be approved, licensed, and inspected by the Tillamook County Community Health Centers prior to construction and/or operation of the unit. A mobile food unit that does not have a licensed restaurant or commissary as a base of operation may not provide catering services or sell food wholesale unless specific conditions are met.

Licenses are non-transferrable, and you must pay the licensing fee prior to operating the mobile unit.

The City of Tillamook will allow dumping of gray water tanks from Mobile Food Carts at the Wastewater Treatment Plant located at 710 5th Street in Tillamook. Hours are from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Please call prior to going to the plant, 503-842-4155.

La Cuidad de Tillamook permitirá desechar tanques de aguas negras de las Unidades Móviles de Alimentos en la Planta de Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales ubicada en 710 5th Street en Tillamook. Está abierta desde las 8:30 am hasta las 4:00 pm, lunes a viernes. Por favor de llamar antes de llegar a la planta, 503-842-4155.

  • To complete the application electronically, please save the document to your computer and attach completed form to email. Form must be saved, scanned, or converted to PDF format – JPG or other image formats will not be accepted.

  • Para completar la solicitud electrónicamente, guarde el documento en su computadora y adjunte el formulario completo al correo electrónico. El formulario debe guardarse, escanearse o convertirse a formato PDF: no se aceptarán formatos JPG u otros formatos de imagen.

Helpful Documents

English Information

FAQ’s
Food Sanitation Rules

Air Gap
Animals on the Premises
Commissary/Warehouse Usage Agreement
Cooling Log
Cross Contamination
Date Marking Sheet
Hot and Cold Food Temperatures
Mobile Unit Handwashing Systems Under Mechanical Pressure
Power Outage Info
Refrigeration Log 1
Refrigeration Log 2
Restroom Usage Agreement
Sanitizing Your Mobile Food Unit’s Fresh Water System
Time as a Public Health Control
Waste Water Disposal Agreement

Spanish Information (Información en Español)

FAQ’s (Preguntas más frecuentes)
Food Sanitation Rules (Código de Alimento)

Cross Contamination (Contaminación cruzada)
Consumer Advisory (Advertencia para el consumidor)
Date Marking (Marcar los alimentos con la fecha)
Employee Illness Policy (Norma de Enfermedad para el Empleado)
Power Outage Info (Información de Apagón)
Temperature Log (Registro de temperatura)