STATEHOUSE (Feb. 20, 2025) – The Indiana House of Representatives advanced State Rep. Joanna King's (R-Middlebury) legislation to boost support for Indiana food truck vendors.
Since the pandemic, the food truck industry has been on the rise. According to a report produced by Grand View Research, the U.S. food truck services market was valued at over $1 billion in 2021 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of over 6 percent from 2022 to 2030.
King said House Bill 1577 would create a statewide mobile retail food establishment license so vendors could operate in different counties without having to obtain a local license or permit in each location. The legislation builds off a law King authored last year simplifying the permitting process for food trucks by capping certain fees and requiring local health departments to create mobile retail food establishment permits that follow a set of universal state standards beginning this year. The permit must be established in accordance with state regulations adopted by the Indiana Department of Health.
"For the past two years, we have been working hard to allow food trucks to travel across our state without having different rules and regulations from county to county when in operation," King said. "With these two pieces of legislation, the food truck industry can continue to grow without any unnecessary hurdles standing in the way."
King said her legislation would equip the IDOH to establish this licensure procedure, the standards for licensure and inspections, as well as standards for the operation of a mobile retail food establishment. Local health departments would also oversee issuing licenses, collecting fees and conducting semiannual inspections of license holders beginning in 2027.
Additionally, King said House Bill 1577 would add transparency by establishing a publicly accessible database on food truck inspections and any violations issued to promote and uphold the safety of these mobile food establishments.
House Bill 1577 now moves to the Senate for further consideration. For more information, or to watch session and committee meetings live, visit iga.in.gov.
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State Rep. Joanna King (R-Middlebury) represents House District 49,
which includes a portion of Elkhart County.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
