Food Truck Commissary Agreement: What It Must Say, With a Printable Template (2026)

The short version

A commissary agreement is a signed statement from a permitted commercial kitchen (the commissary) that your truck may use specific services there, water fill, wastewater and garbage disposal, warewashing, food prep and storage, overnight storage, and that you will report there as often as your health department requires. Agencies call it an agreement, a letter, a notification or a verification form, but they all want the same facts on file: who you are, who the commissary is and its permit number, which services are covered, your days and hours of access, both promises in writing, and two signatures with dates.

It is due with the permit application in most places, at the pre-permit inspection in New York City, and again at every renewal. Washington State and NYC also put an expiry on it (one year and two years). Inspectors ask for it on the truck, so keep a copy on board.

This guide is built from the actual forms: Florida's DBPR HR-7022, Maricopa County's Commissary Agreement, Snohomish County's agreement under the Washington food code, NYC Health's Commissary Agreement, Lee County's North Carolina approval form and San Francisco's verification form. The printable template at the end mirrors them, and adds the business terms the agency forms leave out.

For what a commissary is and why it exists, start with commissary kitchen requirements; for what kitchens charge, what 40 commissaries publish. For your state's rules, see the Texas, Florida, California, New York and Georgia commissary guides linked under Related.

Agreement, letter, notification: one document, many names

Two things stand out in that table. First, Georgia is the exception: the state's model is that each truck's permit holder has their own base of operation, permitted with the truck, and the state FAQ says sharing space or equipment between two permit holders is not allowed. If you are in Georgia, the document you need is a base permit, not a letter from someone else's kitchen; see the Georgia commissary guide. Second, Florida's HR-7022 is a notification, not a contract: you sign it alone, and the state checks that the commissary is licensed by DBPR or permitted by the Department of Agriculture and that the license number on your vehicle matches your license. The business relationship with the kitchen is a separate agreement that the state never sees.

What every form asks for

Lay the five forms side by side and the fields fall into six groups. Your agency's form may use different labels, but if you can fill these in you can fill in any of them.

1. Your unit

• Business or DBA name, and the unit type (truck, trailer, pushcart)
• Owner or permit holder's legal name, phone, email and mailing address
• License, permit, record or decal number (Florida: your DBPR license number if you have one; NYC: record number and decal number; San Francisco: license plate and vehicle make and model; Maricopa County: permit type and number)

2. The commissary

• Legal name and DBA
• Street address, city, ZIP and county
• Permit or license number and the agency that issued it (Florida asks whether DBPR or the Department of Agriculture licensed it; NYC requires a Non-Retail Food Establishment Permit)
• Owner or manager's name and title, phone and email
• Business hours (Snohomish County and NYC ask for the days and times you may use it)

3. The services, as a checklist

This is the heart of the form. Maricopa County says each agreement is verified to make sure the facility can actually provide what you tick, so tick only what the kitchen really offers and what your menu needs.

• Potable water fill
• Wastewater (gray water) disposal to a mop sink, utility sink or dump station
• Garbage and refuse disposal
• Grease and fryer oil disposal (Snohomish County lists it separately)
• Warewashing in an approved three-compartment sink or commercial dishwasher
• Handwashing sink
• Food preparation space, including raw meat and produce prep stations
• Dry storage for food and single-service items, in a labeled area used only by you
• Refrigerated and frozen storage, often in cubic feet
• Ice, in pounds per day
• Chemical storage
• Propane or fuel storage (NYC)
• Cleaning and servicing area for the unit
• Storage of the unit when not in operation (overnight parking)
• Electrical hookups and power
• Restroom access and an after-hours entrance key

4. Your access schedule

Days of the week and hours. NYC's form has a box for each day; Snohomish County asks for business days and hours. The agency reads this against your route sheet and your menu, so a two-hour window on Monday will not support a six-day operation.

5. The promises

• Yours: report to the commissary at least once each operating day, or at the frequency the agency approves; keep a visit log on board (Washington: for one year; Maricopa County: in permanent waterproof ink, always kept in the unit); store food only in your designated, labeled space; notify the agency of any change within its deadline.
• The commissary's: hold a current permit; provide the services checked, during the hours listed; keep its own registry of your visits (Florida requires a daily registry; NYC has the commissary agree to maintain a use log); allow inspection access during business hours; give written notice before rescinding.

6. Signatures

Printed name, signature, title and date for each party. Florida has one signature block (the operator's). NYC's form carries a warning that false statements are a Class A misdemeanor, and San Francisco's is signed under penalty of perjury, so the person signing for the commissary should be the permit holder, not the night manager.

Mistakes that get a packet sent back

• License number mismatch. Florida's instructions tell the commissary to verify that the license number displayed on your vehicle matches the number on your license before providing services, and the state cross-checks the commissary's number. One digit off and the packet comes back.
• A kitchen that is not permitted for the job. A friend's restaurant can qualify, but only if it holds the right permit from the right agency: DBPR or the Department of Agriculture in Florida, a Non-Retail Food Establishment Permit in NYC, a county health permit elsewhere. Ask to see it.
• A residence. Florida's form says no food service activities may occur in a private residence; Lee County's form has the commissary owner acknowledge that supplies may not be stored in one; Georgia prohibits operations in a private home.
• Services that do not match the menu. If your menu needs raw meat prep and the agreement only covers water and garbage, plan review stalls.
• An expired agreement. Washington's lapses after a year, NYC's after two; Maricopa County wants a fresh one at every renewal. Calendar it with the permit.
• No log. Washington, Maricopa County and NYC all require a written record of visits. Inspectors ask for it on the truck.
• One signature where two are required. Everywhere except Florida's HR-7022, the commissary's permit holder signs too.

What the agency's form leaves out

The health department cares about food safety, so its form stops at services and signatures. The money and the day-to-day live somewhere else, and if they are not written down you will argue about them in month three. Put these in a separate business-terms page and attach it:

• Rent and what it buys: the amount, the period (month, week, hour), what is included (water, power, dumpster, grease) and what is metered or billed separately.
• Deposit and the conditions for getting it back.
• Your storage allocation: shelves, cubic feet of cooler and freezer, and whether it is locked.
• Parking: which space, overnight or not, whether a second vehicle is allowed, who is liable for damage in the lot.
• Hours and after-hours access, including who holds a key or code.
• Cleaning responsibilities: who cleans the shared sinks and the service area after your use.
• Insurance: most commissaries ask for a certificate of insurance naming them as additional insured; put the limits and the renewal date in writing. See the insurance and COI section of the health inspection checklist for what inspectors expect to see.
• Termination: notice period in days, and the commissary's obligation to give you written notice (and to tell the agency) before pulling the agreement, which Lee County's form already requires.
• What happens if the commissary loses its permit.

A commissary that will not sign business terms is telling you something.

The printable template

The food truck commissary agreement template is a two-part document you can print or save as a PDF:

Use it in one of two ways. Where your agency publishes its own form (Florida, Maricopa County, Snohomish County, NYC, most North Carolina and California counties), fill in the agency's form for the file and use Part G as the contract between you and the kitchen. Where the agency only says "provide a commissary letter," use Parts A to F as the letter and keep Part G for yourselves.

Before you sign

Verify every requirement with the agency that issues your permit before you file; forms change and the agency's page is the one that counts. For the rest of the paperwork in your state, open your state permit checklist and the commissary requirements guide.