How to start a food truck in South Carolina (checklist)

1. Plan your concept and numbers

Start with what you will cook and where you will sell it: office parks, breweries, events, catering or a regular weekly route. Your menu decides the equipment you need, and your equipment decides what the health inspector will check. Sketch your startup costs (truck, equipment, commissary rent, permits, insurance and first inventory) and your break-even sales per day.

Before you buy a truck, read SCDA’s Quick Guide for Planning a Retail Food Establishment. It helps you avoid buying a unit that will not pass inspection.

2. Set up the business

• Choose a business structure and register it. SC Business One Stop links the state registrations most new businesses need.
• Get an employer identification number from the IRS if you will hire staff or form an LLC or corporation.
• Register with the SC Department of Revenue to collect sales tax. Ask each city or county you serve whether a local hospitality tax applies to prepared food.
• Talk to an insurance agent about liability, vehicle and equipment coverage. Event hosts and property owners often ask for proof of insurance.

3. Find a commissary

In South Carolina, the commissary is part of your permitted operation. SCDA’s Mobile Food Establishment Supplemental records which services the commissary provides: cooking equipment, prep sink, warewashing, drinking water, wastewater and refuse disposal, a servicing area and designated storage. It also records the days and times you will use it. If your truck will be stored somewhere else, you will need an operational variance from SCDA.

Look for a commissary with enough cold storage for your menu and a schedule that fits your service hours. Get the agreement in writing.

4. Get your SCDA permit

Apply for the Retail Food Establishment Permit through SCDA’s online registration and file the mobile supplemental signed by you and your commissary. Check the current annual inspection fee schedule. Our step-by-step SC food truck permit guide covers the details.

5. Get local licenses and approvals

Each city and county sets its own rules. Expect some mix of:

• A business license for each city where you sell, or the county outside city limits.
• A zoning or temporary-use permit, plus written permission from each property owner.
• A fire inspection, often at your commissary.
• Proof of SC DMV registration for the truck.
• Event permits for festivals and markets.

Columbia, for example, requires an annual temporary use permit and keeps trucks 100 feet from restaurant doors unless the restaurant consents. See our Columbia and Richland County guide.

6. Line up places to park

Your permits only matter if you have somewhere legal to sell. Approach breweries, office parks, apartment communities and churches. Get written permission for each spot and check that its zoning allows a truck. Food truck courts and parks are another option, since the property owner has already handled the site.

Printable checklist

7. Launch and get found

Tell customers where you will be. On Fork & Curb you can post today’s stop, take orders ahead so the line moves faster, and accept catering requests with deposits. Create your free seller profile or find your truck in the South Carolina directory.