Massachusetts Bill Aims to Simplify Food Truck Permits Statewide

Massachusetts legislators will review a bill to standardize food truck permitting. The bill, advanced by Rep. Marcus S. Vaughn, R-Wrentham, aims to create a single, state-recognized permit tied to the business mailing address, valid across all towns.

Supporters describe the bill, currently before the Joint Committee on Public Health, as common sense. The spirit of the bill aims to keep food trucks in business and to permit more straightforward operation throughout Massachusetts.

A Telegram & Gazette report notes the following obstacles facing individual food truck operators. Individual operators face long travel for permits and related costs. For example, a 90-minute one-way trip to Norwell imposes labor, fees, and fuel costs. These requirements led food truck owner Michael Leverone of WooTrucks in Boylston to turn down a $2,500 gig.

At the core of the issue over food truck permitting is a deeply fragmented system. Towns require separate permits from fire departments and boards of health, as well as inspections in each municipality hosting events.

Leverone said, "We're the most inspected industry. I have over 100 permits this year. I've paid over $15,000 in permits since the beginning of the year," Leverone said in a statement shared with the Telegram & Gazette.

Mark Gallant, who runs The Dogfather and the food truck commissary WooTrucks in Boylston, has in the past advocated for a solution similar to what Vaughn's bill proposed, but his ideas were previously ignored.

"Permitting for a food truck six years ago was daunting. Now it's near impossible," Gallant said. "The amount of permits that we have to pull every year and what we have to go through to get these permits. We're so beat up; it's not even worth going through at times."