SAN ANTONIO – A Texas law pending Governor Greg Abbott’s signature could make traveling between Texas cities easier for food truck owners by establishing a single statewide health permit.
Currently, food trucks are required to obtain a variety of permits for each city, town and potentially county in which they operate.
House Bill 2844, introduced by Rep. Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa), passed through the Texas House and Senate. Abbott has until June 22, 2025, to sign it into law.
“It’s going to open up a lot of doors for new food trucks to come into the industry,” said El Camino Food Truck Park & Bar owner Ricky Ortiz.
Ortiz says many food trucks enter the industry without fully realizing all the permits they need to secure to go into business. He says that additional health permits for every city or county a truck operates in can add up over time.
“It’s not insanely expensive. I mean it’s like 50 bucks here, 150 there, 300 here, ” Ortiz said. “I’m hoping it just streamlines that process for everybody and at least you get rid of a few headaches.”
Cameron Davies, owner of Cruising Kitchens, a food truck and mobile kitchen builder, believes the future is bright for the food truck business. He’s working with Ortiz to create a food truck Commissary for dozens of food truck owners in town.
“I think a commissary kitchen is why it’s so important, one of the biggest pieces you need is a place to operate out of store, you know, prep your food, dump your gray water, clean your truck," Davies said. “It’s honestly one of those key components that I think there’s a lack of across the state of Texas."
If signed, the new health permit law will take effect on July 1, 2026.
