MFDV License Florida

What an MFDV License Covers

A Mobile Food Dispensing Vehicle (MFDV) in Florida is any vehicle-mounted food service operation that prepares, serves, or sells food directly to consumers. Food trucks, trailers, carts with cooking equipment, and converted vans all fall under this category when they involve on-site food preparation.

The MFDV license is issued by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), Division of Hotels and Restaurants. It's a completely different regulatory track from the cottage food exemption under Florida Statute § 500.80. Where cottage food operations sell prepackaged, shelf-stable products from a home kitchen with no state licensing, an MFDV license lets you prepare and serve ready-to-eat food — including hot foods, TCS items, and made-to-order dishes — from a mobile unit.

This distinction matters because many home food entrepreneurs eventually ask: "Can I just start a food truck instead?" The answer is yes, but the regulatory requirements, startup costs, and ongoing obligations are substantially different.

DBPR Licensing Requirements

To operate a food truck legally in Florida, you need to complete several steps through DBPR:

Commissary agreement. Every MFDV must operate from a licensed commissary — a fixed, permitted commercial kitchen where the truck returns for food storage, preparation, water supply, wastewater disposal, and equipment cleaning. You can't just park a food truck in your driveway and operate from home. The commissary must hold its own active DBPR food service license, and you need a signed commissary agreement on file with DBPR.

Vehicle plan review. Before DBPR issues your MFDV license, they review the vehicle's equipment layout. You'll submit floor plans showing your cooking equipment, handwashing station, three-compartment sink (or approved alternative), refrigeration units, food storage areas, and ventilation system. The plan review is free through DBPR — they don't charge a separate fee for it.

MFDV license application. File your application through the DBPR online portal at myfloridalicense.com. The application requires your commissary agreement, plan review approval, proof of a Certified Food Protection Manager (CFPM) on staff, and the applicable license fee.

Initial inspection. After your application is approved, a DBPR inspector visits the vehicle to verify that it matches the submitted plans and meets all sanitation, equipment, and safety standards. The truck can't operate until it passes this inspection.

License Fees

DBPR food truck license fees are based on the same fee schedule as brick-and-mortar restaurants:

The license renews annually. DBPR sends renewal notices, but it's your responsibility to renew on time. A lapsed license means you can't legally operate, and restarting after a lapse may require a new inspection.

Beyond the DBPR license, you'll also need:

• Local business tax receipt (BTR): Required by most Florida cities and counties, typically $25–$75 annually.
• Fire department inspection: Many municipalities require a fire safety inspection for food trucks with cooking equipment, especially those using propane or open flames.
• County health department approval: Some counties layer additional permitting on top of DBPR requirements.
• Vehicle registration and insurance: Commercial auto insurance plus general liability, typically $2,000–$5,000 annually for a food truck.

How MFDV Licensing Differs from Cottage Food

The two paths serve fundamentally different business models:

The capital requirements alone make this a different conversation. A used food truck with basic equipment runs $20,000 to $50,000. A new, custom-built truck can exceed $100,000. Add the commissary rental ($500–$2,000/month), insurance, and licensing fees, and you're looking at $25,000 to $60,000 in first-year costs before you've sold a single plate.

When a Food Truck Makes More Sense Than Cottage Food

A food truck is the right move when your business hits one or more of these walls:

Your products require temperature control. If you want to sell hot meals, sandwiches, tacos, barbecue, or any food that needs refrigeration or heating, cottage food rules won't work. The § 500.80 exemption covers only non-TCS, shelf-stable products.

You want to sell wholesale or to businesses. Cottage food operators can only sell direct to consumers. A food truck with a DBPR license can serve the public and cater events; supplying restaurants or taking wholesale orders requires the appropriate additional commercial licensing.

You've outgrown the $250,000 cap. If your cottage food revenue is approaching the statutory limit and you're ready to invest in a bigger operation, a food truck is one path to commercial licensing that avoids the overhead of a fixed-location restaurant.

You want location flexibility. Food trucks can work events, festivals, breweries, office parks, and rotating neighborhoods — a reach that a home-based cottage food operation can't match.

Starting from Cottage Food and Scaling Up

Many successful Florida food truck operators started as cottage food sellers. The typical path looks like this:

1. Launch a cottage food operation from home — minimal startup costs, no licensing, and a chance to test products and build a customer base.
2. As revenue grows, reinvest profits into food truck planning — research commissary options, design the truck layout, and get your CFPM certification.
3. Apply for the MFDV license through DBPR while still operating under cottage food rules. There's no conflict in holding both — you can sell prepackaged cottage food products from your home while building out the food truck operation.
4. Once the truck passes inspection and the license is active, transition your prepared-food sales to the truck and decide whether to keep the cottage food side running.

The Florida Cottage Food & Home Food Business Guide covers both the cottage food exemption and the commercial transition pathway, including the specific steps for moving from a home kitchen to a licensed operation — whether that's a food truck, shared commercial kitchen, or standalone facility.

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