In a month, food trucks from other counties should find it cheaper and easier to operate in Fulton County.
Fulton commissioners approved a resolution Wednesday to recognize health-inspection permits from other Georgia counties instead of requiring one from Fulton’s own board of health.
The new rule should go into effect April 1.
Currently, food trucks from elsewhere that want to operate in Fulton must pay for a $300 permit, in addition to the permits they hold in their home counties and any other fees required by the localities in which they serve food. The just-passed resolution changes Fulton County’s charge to a $75 “mobile unit administrative research fee” for verifying that a food truck has been approved by health officials in its home county.
The Fulton County Board of Health, which inspects and issues permits to food trucks, approved the change Jan. 25 in line with Georgia House Bill 1443, which passed with wide bipartisan support in 2022.
The new fee comes with a short application form, but that’s faster and simpler than applying for a new full permit, according to Tony Harrison, board president of the Food Truck Association of Georgia.
He estimated 150 to 200 food trucks operate in the counties that make up the metro Atlanta. Fulton’s rule change could increase the number operating in this county by 30 to 50 within the next couple of years, Harrison said.
Within the county, though, individual cities have their own operating requirements and fees for food trucks that vary considerably in complexity and cost, he said.
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