Mobile Food Establishments

If you are thinking of starting a Mobile Food Establishment in Sauk County, please take the time to review the following information about the licensing process and requirements. It is against the law to operate a mobile food establishment without a license.

Food Code Fact Sheets

• Definitions

  • Mobile Food Establishment: a restaurant or retail food establishment where food is served or sold from a movable vehicle, push cart, trailer or boat which periodically or continuously changes location and requires a service base to accommodate the unit for servicing, cleaning, inspection and maintenance.
  • Service Base:
    • an operating base location to which a mobile food establishment or transportation vehicle return regularly for such things as vehicle and equipment cleaning, discharging liquid or solid wastes, refilling water tanks and ice bins, and boarding food.
    • Mobil food establishments must have a service base with an approved water supply and liquid waste disposal.
    • An enclosed building service base is not required if the following conditions are met:
      • The lack of an enclosed building service base will not interfere with the sanitary operation of the mobile food establishment.
      • Department approval has been obtained.
  • Food Vendor: an operator of either a temporary food establishment or a mobile restaurant/retail Establishment that is in conjunction with an event.

• Licensing and inspection requirements

  • If food vendors are operating in more than one county in Wisconsin, they must obtain a license from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). Food vendors who have a license from DATCP are subject to an inspection fee when an inspection is conducted by the public health department.
  • If the food vendor will only be operating within Sauk County, they need to obtain a license from the public health department.
  • Mobile restaurants and retail food establishments are licensed the same and have the same inspection requirements as non-mobile Restaurants or Retail Food Establishments. Follow the links provided for more information and fee rates.
  • Please review the Mobile Food Service Guidelines Fact Sheet for an overview of the food safety requirements of mobile food establishments.

• Frequently Asked Questions