How to open a

food van
or food truck

in the City of Sydney

A process guide for
mobile food businesses

December 2015

1 Introduction....................................................... 1
2 Overview How to apply for............................ 2
food van or food truck approval

Step 1/ Decide if your business is a
food van or a food truck.................... 3

Step 2/ Choose where you want to trade ..... 3

Step 3/ Select the fees that apply to you....... 7

Step 4/ Talk to a City of Sydney officer ........ 7

Step 5/ Create your food truck design
and menu (food trucks only)............. 8

Step 6/ Develop a plan of management ..... 10

Step 7/ Obtain a health inspection report... 10

Step 8/ Take out your insurances ................ 10

Step 9/ Supply your vehicle details............. 10

Step 10/ Obtain health
and safety approvals ....................... 11

Step 11/ Submit your application................... 11

Step 12/ After your approval
has been issued............................... 12
3 Checklist food vans..................................... 13
4 Checklist food trucks................................... 14
5 More information ............................................ 15
6 Contact details ............................................... 16

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

Introduction

So youre thinking about opening a food van or food truck

business in the City of Sydney? This is a guide to the approvals
you will need to get started, and how to acquire them.
The City of Sydney determines all new mobile businesses
intending to sell food to the public in the city. We advise
you to contact our Food Truck Project Manager on
02 9265 9333 to discuss your business before you
begin the application process.
There are two types of vending vehicle approvals food vans
and food trucks. Youll need to decide if you want to trade
as a food van or food truck, and where you want to trade.
Your application will need to include a plan of management,
which is an operational document outlining the measures you
will take to reduce environmental and public health impacts.
If you decide to trade as a food truck, youll also need to
include a concept design and menu details.

Before you can submit your application to the City of

Sydney, youll need to ensure your van or truck meets food
hygiene construction standards and obtain health inspection
approvals. Youll also need waste water approvals from
Sydney Water, insurances, and proof of vehicle registration.
Approvals are valid for 12 months, and must be renewed
before the expiry date.
This guide does not provide legal or commercial advice.
As well as following the steps in this guide, please make
sure you obtain legal and accounting advice.

Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

Overview
How to apply for food van or food truck approval
Identify what type of business you will be

Food van

Food truck

Do your research

Do your research

Read the Mobile Food Vending Vehicles

Download the free food truck app and visit
Local Approvals Policy
a food truck that is currently serving
Review the Mobile Food Vending Vehicles
Read the Mobile Food Vending Vehicles Local Approvals Policy
fees and charges schedule
Read the Food Trucks Guidelines
Think about your menu
Review the Mobile Food Vending Vehicles fees and charges schedule
Think about your menu and design concept

Pre-application advice
Arrange a meeting with Councils Food Truck Project Manager

Lodge your food truck concept design submission form

Approval from the Food Truck Design Panel
NO

YES

Pre-application advice
Contact the Councils Health & Building staff for advice on your Food Truck or Food Van application form.

Lodge your Food Truck or Food Van application form

Ensure you have filled in all paperwork correctly and support documentation attached
Fee payment Book your vehicle inspection

Final approval from the City

Food van documents

Food truck briefing and documents

Letter of Approval (Section 68) posted to you

Approval sticker posted to you
Attach sticker to your vehicle prior to trade

You will be invited to a Food Truck briefing meeting at Council

where the following information will be provided;
Letter of Approval (Section 68)
Approval sticker to attach to your vehicle prior to trade
Food Truck Operator Manual
Sydney Food Truck App and software training
Compliance rules, regulations and safety training
Online booking software training for off-street trading sites (if applicable)

Begin trading
Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

Step 1/ Decide if your business is a food van

or a food truck
The type of mobile food vending business you choose will
affect how and where you will trade.

Types of mobile food vending vehicles

 ood vans serve food that is not
F
potentially hazardous, or that involves
low-risk practices such as frothing milk.
They can only trade for 15 minutes at one
time. An example would be an ice-cream
van, or a van serving coffee and cakes.
 ood trucks have no restrictions to their
F
menu and can trade for up to five hours.
These vehicles are essentially a kitchen
on wheels. An example would be a
gourmet food truck serving made-toorder hot food such as tacos.

Step 2/ Choose where you want to trade

There are two different trading area types street vending
and off-street trading.

Street vending food vans and food trucks

Approved vehicles can operate on City-owned roads
and must comply with local car parking restrictions.
The hours of operation for street vending are:
Central Sydney
8am to 3am, Monday to Sunday
Other City of Sydney areas
9am to 12 midnight, Monday to Sunday
Food vans or trucks are not allowed to operate:
Within the Kings Cross precinct exclusion zone;
On any roads and streets governed by Roads and
Maritime Services (RMS);

For more information on the definition of potentially hazardous

foods, see foodauthority.nsw.gov.au

On any roads or land not owned by the City of Sydney

without permission; or

If youre still unsure of what your menu type would fall under,
please contact our Health & Building Unit on 02 9265 9333.

Within 50m of an existing, trading takeaway food or

drink premises open for business that is serving the
same or similar food types.

Your vehicle must also be registered with NSW Roads &

Maritime Services. See rms.nsw.gov.au for details.

See Figure 1 for the street vending zones.

For more details on where food vans or trucks can and
cannot trade, see the Citys Mobile Food Vending Local
Approvals Policy.

Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

Central Sydney
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Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

Randwick
City Council

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

Off-street trading food trucks only

Off-street sites can only be used by food trucks that have the
appropriate approval type. These sites are City-owned parks
and plazas. See the map in Figure 2 for these sites.
These sites are classified as high-demand or low-demand,
depending on their location and popularity
High-demand sites
These sites may have access restrictions or require rigorous
plans of management. They are typically highly sought after
by operators due to the considerable pedestrian traffic and
location. High-demand site approval holders also have
access to all low-demand sites.
Low-demand sites
These sites may not have any access restrictions and require
simpler plans of management. Low-demand site holders
cannot trade at any high-demand sites.

Off-street trading locations and hours of operation

Off-street
trading site

Class Hours of operation

Customs House
Forecourt,
Circular Quay

High

9pm2am, 7 days

Queens Square,
City Centre

High

7am2am, 7 days

Hyde Park North,

City Centre

High

7am2am, 7 days

Wynyard Park,
City Centre

High

10am3pm, Mon Fri

Harmony Park,
Surry Hills

High

10am8pm, 7 days

Pitt Street Mall,

City Centre

High

7pm2am, 7 days

Sydney Park,
Alexandria

Low

7am11pm, Mon
7ammidnight, Tue Sat
7am10pm, Sun

Macquarie Place,
City Centre

Low

5pm2am, 7 days

Joynton Park, Zetland

Low

10am10pm, 7 days

Bicentennial Park, Glebe

Low

6am8pm, 7 days

Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney
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Copyright 2013 City of Sydney Council, All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2013 Land and Property Information, All Rights
Reserved. This map has been compiled from various sources
and the publisher and/or contributors accept no responsibility
for any injury, loss or damage arising from the use, error or
omissions therein. While all care is taken to ensure a high
degree of accuracy, users are invited to notify Councils
GIS Group of any map discrepancies. No part of this map

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Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

Step 3/ S
 elect the fees that apply to you

Step 4/ Talk to a City of Sydney officer

The fees are detailed in the Schedule of Fees and Charges

at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/council/our-responsibilities/
fees-and-charges and are subject to change. All approvals
are issued for 12 months. Fees must be paid on application
and when the license is renewed.

After researching your business and category options, you

might find it useful to talk to our Food Truck Project Manager
or our Health & Building Officer by calling 02 9265 9333.

Fees are also listed on both the Food Truck and

Food Van application forms. These can be found
at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/mobile-food-vendors

Fee categories for food vans and food trucks

If they cant answer all your questions over the phone, you can
arrange a meeting at the One Stop Shop at Town Hall House
on 456 Kent Street, Sydney.
Please provide council staff with as much information
as possible, including a brief summary of your business
activities, menu and vehicle design concepts.

Food Vans
One fee type:
Street vending only
 ood Trucks
F
Three fee types:
Premium type 1 street vending
and access to both low and
high-demand sites
Premium type 2 street vending
and access to low-demand sites
Standard street vending only.

Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

Step 5/ C
 reate your food truck design
and menu (food trucks only)
The City has high design standards in place to improve the
look and feel of public places. All food truck applicants must
submit their menu and the concept design of their vehicle.
The Citys Food Truck Design Panel will review your design
and menu.

Food truck concept design

The panel will assess your concept design against the
following criteria:
Innovation
Outline your business concept. Tell us what makes it unique
compared to any other local food truck. Explain how your
menu and theme complement each other, and why they suit
the Sydney Food Truck brand. Include a short background
on yourself, your idea and why youre starting a food truck
business (200 words max).
Sustainable
Food trucks are sustainable due to their compact features
and size. Describe any renewable or low-carbon technologies
and materials you will use in manufacturing and repairing the
truck, and in running the food truck. Include details such as
the use of solar panels for powering appliances or eco-friendly
packaging for food items. (200 words max)

Food truck menu

You must provide a sample menu, including price points,
along with photographs of your food. All files are to be in
PDF or JPEG format with a minimum of four and a maximum
of 12 images.
Include an outline of what the food truck cuisine or theme
will be, for example organic or a national cuisine, and a brief
outline as to how it will be prepared or cooked.
The Sydney Food Truck Design Panel meet every eight weeks.
Please contact the Sydney Food Truck Project Manager for
details on concept submission deadlines.
Your Food Truck Concept Design must be sent to the
City at least eight weeks before your intended start date.
You can download the Sydney Food Truck Concept
Design submission form and criteria template at
cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/mobile-food-vendors
We advise you to contact our Food Truck Project Manager on
02 9265 9333 to discuss your business before you begin the
application process.

Ethics
We will assess the use of any fair-trade products. Well also
consider any plans you have to support certain charities
or specific communities, such as employment or training
schemes. (200 words max)
You must supply full-colour design illustrations of the vehicle,
either artistic impressions or photographs. All files are to be in
PDF or JPEG format with a minimum of four and a maximum
of 12 images. Perspective views from the front, back and both
sides are required to help illustrate the look and feel of the
vehicle. Please see the example in Figure 3.

Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

Figure 3
SAMPLE ONLY

The illustration of your design must include an indication

of the vehicle type, for example, caravan, truck or trailer.

Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

Step 6/ Develop a plan of management

Step 9/ Supply your vehicle details

You must create a detailed plan for your business outlining

how you will manage food safety and operational issues.

Youll need to include layout details for your food van or

truck, and book the vehicle in for an inspection with the
Citys Environmental Health Officer.

The plan is a simple document that describes the steps

required to ensure that the food you sell is safe to eat.
It must include details on how you will identify and manage
food safety, and any environmental impacts such as noise,
litter, wastewater disposal and odour.
A template for writing your plan can be found at
cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/mobile-food-vendors

Step 7/ Obtain a health inspection report

You will need a satisfactory health inspection report of your
facility or the commercial kitchen used as your primary food
preparation or storage premises. A satisfactory report means
there are no outstanding defects, and there are only minor
matters to address.
This inspection must be carried out by your local Council
Environmental Health Officers or a suitably qualified
organisation such as the NSW Food Authority. The inspection
of the commercial kitchen must be conducted before,
and within 12 months of, submitting your Food Truck
application form.

Vehicle build and layout plans

This must be well planned and should have good workflow,
considering a range of important elements to ensure effective
and acceptable operation and food safety. The vehicle must
not exceed 11m metres long and 2.5 metres wide.
If applying to renew your approval, you do not have to
re-submit your plans unless your vehicle has changed.
Vehicle inspection
You must book your vehicle in for an inspection by an
Environmental Health Officer at the City of Sydney.
To see a sample diagram of a mobile vending vehicle build
go to cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/mobile-food-vendors
Vehicle registration
You will need to register your vehicle with NSW Roads and
Maritime Services and provide proof of this in your application.
See rms.nsw.gov.au for details.
We advise that you contact our Health & Building Unit on
02 9265 9333 to schedule a meeting or ask any questions
before you start building your vehicle.

Step 8/ Take out your insurances

Youll need two types of insurances:
Certificate of Currency for Third Party Property
Damage Insurance to the value of $10,000,000; and
Certificate of Currency for Public and Product
Liability Insurance to the value of $10,000,000 which
also indemnifies City of Sydney Council and the applicant.

Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

Step 10/ Obtain health and safety approvals

Step 11/ Submitting your application

Before the City of Sydney can issue you with a food van or
food truck license, you will need to show appropriate and
applicable registration or licence from the NSW Food Authority
and approvals from Sydney Water.

When youve prepared all the details in steps 1 to 10,

fill out a Food truck or Food Van Application Form.
This is available at
cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/mobile-food-vendors

NSW Food Authority

You must ensure you and your staff are trained in responsible
food safety and hygiene standards. You may need to have
an accredited Food Safety Supervisor on site.
See foodauthority.nsw.gov.au for details.

Your application must be sent to us at least four weeks

before your intended start date.

If your commercial premises is a food manufacturing or

storage site, it must be licensed with the Food Authority.
If it is a retail premises, it must be notified to the NSW Food
Authority, and both must have the appropriate inspections
carried out.

We advise you to contact our Health & Building Unit on

02 9265 9333 to schedule a meeting or ask any questions
before you submit your application.

Sydney Water
You may need a Trade Waste Permit from Sydney
Water. You may also need to take part in their Wastesafe
wastewater disposal program. You will need to discuss your
circumstances with Sydney Water and comply with any
trade waste and wastewater disposal requirements.
See sydneywater.com.au for details.

Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

Step 12/ After your approval has been issued

App and website details

Your application will be assessed by our Health & Building

assessment team. If your application is successful, youll need
to follow the steps below.

Description

Class

File

Class

Truck name

App

50 characters
max

Food Vans
Council will issue you with a Category 1 Section 68 Approval
with conditions, and approval sticker. You must display the
sticker on the vehicle at all times.

Business/cuisine
description (one line)

App

140 characters
max

Logo

App & web PNG 256w x 256h

or GIF pixels

Food Trucks
You will be booked in for a meeting with Council.
At the meeting you will receive:

Wallpaper
background image

Website

JPEG 1110w x 780h

pixels

Images for the gallery

Website

JPEG 1024w x 700h

pixels

Cuisine description

Website

100 words
max

Business description
or story

Website

100 words
max

Your Section 68 Approval with conditions;

Your approval sticker to be display in the vehicle at all times;
Food Truck Operator Manual to keep in the vehicle at
all times;
Smartphone app and software training; and

Contact email address Website

High

An overview of compliance and safety regulations.

Contact phone number Website

High

The City of Sydney uses the award-winning smartphone

Sydney Food Trucks app. This app is free and one of the
main resources customers use to find the food trucks.
It is for food trucks only.

Website address

Website

High

Facebook and/or
Twitter links*

App & web

Low

Followgram
(for Instagram) link*

App & web

High

All approved food trucks will also have their business

details and scores on doors star rating displayed on
the Citys website, sydneyfoodtrucks.com.au

*Optional but recommended

Extra information for the menu section on the app is optional,
but recommended. Details could include dish names, short
descriptions, prices and high-resolution photos for each dish.
See sydneyfoodtrucks.com.au or call our Food Truck
Project Manager on 02 9265 9333 for more information.

Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

Checklist
Food vans

Review this guide and all relevant information available at

cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/mobile-food-vendors
Ensure that your menu is made up of only low-risk,
not potentially hazardous foods as defined by the
NSW Food Authority
Arrange a preliminary meeting with our Health & Building
staff by calling the City on 02 9265 9333
Fill in the Food Van Application Form including
all supporting documents:
Certificates of insurances
Vehicle registration
Trade Waste Permit from Sydney Water
Plan of management
Vehicle build and layout plans
Brief menu description
Food Safety Supervisor Certificate
City of Sydney Staff will contact you to arrange fee
payment after you have lodged your application
A Health & Building Officer will contact you to arrange
an inspection of your vehicle
The City will send you an approval notice with an approval
sticker for your vehicle
Make sure youve read and understand all conditions
of your approval
Attach the approval sticker to your vehicle in a place
where it can be easily seen by customers and officers
Start trading!

Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

Checklist
Food trucks

Getting started

After your application is approved by the City of Sydney

Review this guide and all relevant information available at

cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/mobile-food-vendors

Arrange a meeting with the Food Truck Project Manager

to receive:
Your Section 68 approval Category 2 Approval notice
Your approval sticker for your vehicle
The Sydney Food Truck Operator Manual
Food Truck App and software training
Regulation, compliance and safety training
Online off-street site booking software training
Make sure youve read and understand all conditions of
your approval

Identify the type of cuisine or menu that you will be serving

Consider what sort of concept your business will have
and the design of your vehicle
Choose the category type youd like to apply for
Arrange a preliminary meeting with our Food Trucks
Project Manager by calling the City on 02 9265 9333
Submit your concept design to the City for approval
After you have approval from the Citys Food Trucks
Design Panel
Arrange a preliminary meeting with our Health & Building
staff by calling the City on 02 9265 9333
Fill in the Food Truck Application Form and attach copies
of the following documents:
Concept design approval (for food trucks only)
Certificates of insurances
Vehicle registration
Health inspection report for commercial kitchen
Trade Waste Permit from Sydney Water
Plan of management
Menu
Vehicle build and layout plans
Food Safety Supervisor Certificate
Full colour design illustrations of the vehicle.

Attach the approval sticker to your vehicle in a place

where it can be easily seen by customers and officers
Ensure that you have the Food Truck Operator manual
in your vehicle at all times
Start trading!

City of Sydney Staff will contact you to arrange fee

payment after you have lodged your application
A Health & Building Officer will contact you to arrange
an inspection of your vehicle

Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

More
information

City of Sydneys local approvals policy for mobile

food vending vehicles
This policy governs all mobile food businesses within
the City of Sydney.
Visit cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/mobile-food-vendors
City of Sydneys food van and food truck guidelines: These
guidelines contain more information on food truck approvals.
Visit cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/mobile-food-vendors
City of Sydneys fees and charges: A schedule of fees and
charges is available at cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/council/
our-responsibilities/fees-and-charges
NSW Food Authority guidelines for mobile food vending
vehicles: The NSW Food Authority outlines the legal
requirements of how mobile food vending vehicles operate
in NSW based on the Food Act 2003.
Visit foodauthority.nsw.gov.au

Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected

How to open a food van or food truck

in the City of Sydney

Contact
details

Contact details
for Council staff

Voice / Textphone Users

Tel: 133 677 (24 hours 7 days per week)

Town Hall One Stop Shop

Level 2, Town Hall House
456 Kent Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Monday to Friday: 8am to 6pm
Public Holidays: Closed

For more information on Council office

locations visit:

Neighbourhood Service Centres

Kings Cross
50 - 52 Darlinghurst Rd
Kings Cross NSW 2011
Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm
Saturday: 9am to 12noon
Public Holidays: Closed
Glebe
186 Glebe Point Road
(cnr Wigram Road)
Glebe NSW 2037
Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm
Public Holidays: Closed
Redfern
158 Redfern Street
Redfern NSW 2016
Monday to Friday: 9am to 5pm
Saturday: 9am to 12 noon
Public Holidays: Closed
Green Square
100 Joynton Avenue
Zetland NSW 2017
Monday to Friday: 10am to 6pm
Public Holidays: Closed

cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/council/
contact-us/neighbourhoodservice-centres
Hearing/speech impaired
Council welcomes calls made through
the National Relay Service, available
24 hours, 365 days per year.
National Relay Service
Tel: 1800 555 677
relayservice.gov.au

Other useful contacts

Road & Maritime Services
Tel: 132 213
rms.nsw.gov.au
NSW Food Authority
Tel: 1300 552 406
foodauthority.nsw.gov.au
Sydney Water
Tel: 13 20 92
sydneywater.com.au
Have you found this guide useful?
Would you like to make any
suggestions for improving future
editions? Let us know at
council@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au

Sydney2030/Green/Global/Connected