Austin · Travis County
Custom food trailers for Austin, Texas.
We build them from scratch in our own Texas shop, finance them ourselves with weekly payments, and deliver to Austin. Austin delivery and on-site setup, with support through your first inspection.
- Actually built in Texas — not shipped in from Missouri or California with a local phone number on the website
- In-house weekly payments, no bank, no credit check, no lender ceiling
- Built to the Texas rules in force now, with a written pass-inspection guarantee
- 8 weeks build time and milestone payments with photo proof
No obligation. No credit pull to get a quote. We answer in one business day or we call you.
The Austin market, honestly
Austin is the trailer capital of Texas — it's where the modern food trailer park model was invented and it has more organised trailer courts per capita than anywhere else in the state. That's the good news and the bad news: the infrastructure exists, and so does the competition. Austin also has the most demanding fire inspection regime in Texas.
Where Austin operators actually park
- Established trailer parks and courts across South Congress, East Austin, Rainey Street and North Loop
- Brewery and winery lots throughout the metro and out into the Hill Country
- Office and campus lunch trade downtown, at the Domain and around UT
- Event work — a relentless calendar, plus SXSW and ACL
- Round Rock, Pflugerville, Kyle and Buda, which are growing fast and less saturated
Permits and inspections in Austin — what changed in 2026
Health permitting moved to DSHS statewide on July 1, 2026. Austin Public Health has confirmed the transition. What Austin still requires locally: a Certified Food Manager, food handler cards within 60 days of employment, and a restroom facility agreement.
Austin Fire Department runs the most specific mobile food fire inspection in the state — around $222 initially and annually at the time of writing, with a further fee to reschedule after a fail, a missed appointment, or arriving more than 15 minutes late. Municipal fees reset annually, so confirm the current figure. It's the inspection most likely to catch a badly built trailer.
Austin's published fire requirements are worth building to anywhere: all wiring in conduit, GFCI on every outlet, no extension cords as permanent wiring, breaker and junction box covers in place, and a one-time electrical inspection report from a master electrician for new permits.
Propane in Austin: 200 lb transported maximum, dropping to 120 lb if a manifold system is installed with suppression. Cylinders not on rear bumpers, not on exterior sides, not in unvented or passenger compartments. Rigid piping required where lines penetrate walls, floors or ceilings, and a maximum 60 inches of metal flex hose per appliance. Austin also requires an annual propane system inspection report from a licensed LPG plumber.
The Austin Food Trailer Chamber is a genuine industry body with a member directory — worth joining if you're operating here.
| What you need | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Health licence | Texas DSHS Mobile Food Vendor licence — statewide since July 1, 2026. Type III for most cooking trailers ($876 application + $500 pre-licensing inspection, approximately). |
| Who inspects | DSHS, or a local health department acting as a contracted performing agency under agreement with DSHS. Participation is optional, so it varies. |
| Fire inspection | Austin Fire Department — still local, still required, typically annual. Texas has no mandatory statewide fire code, so the edition adopted and the local amendments vary. Keep your certificate in the trailer. |
| Zoning, parking, right-of-way | Still local to Austin. Confirm the specific spot before you commit to a length. |
| Sales tax permit | Texas Comptroller. Allow 2–3 weeks. |
| Food manager & handler cards | Certified Food Manager where you handle TCS foods, plus food handler cards for staff. |
| Trailer title & registration | TxDMV. Assembled trailers over 4,000 lb require a title; we supply the assembled-trailer paperwork. |
What we build for Austin
Whatever the concept, the build is spec'd to the Texas requirements and the local fire code you'll actually be inspected against — not to a generic template. See exactly what we build to →
Getting it to Austin
Austin delivery and on-site setup, with support through your first inspection. We don't just drop it and leave: we walk you through the propane system, the water system, the suppression, the shore-power hookup and the servicing routine on site, and we stay reachable through your licence application and your first inspection.
Delivery is quoted with the build so it's a known number, not a surprise at the end.
Austin — questions
Do you actually deliver to Austin?
Yes, regularly. Austin delivery and on-site setup, with support through your first inspection. Delivery is quoted with the build.
Do I need a Austin permit for a food trailer?
Not a city health permit — not since July 1, 2026. You need the statewide Texas DSHS Mobile Food Vendor licence. You still need local fire inspection through the Austin Fire Department, and you still have to comply with Austin's zoning, parking and right-of-way rules.
Can I get financing in Austin with bad credit?
We don't check credit at all. We carry the financing ourselves with weekly payments, so there's no bank and no credit-score cutoff. How it works →
How long from order to operating in Austin?
8 weeks to build, then your DSHS application and pre-licensing inspection — state law requires DSHS to conduct the health inspection no later than the 14th day after a complete application — plus your local fire inspection. Most people are operating within a few weeks of delivery if they start the paperwork while we're building. We'll tell you when to start it.
¿Atienden en español?
Sí, todo — cotización, contrato, entrega y garantía. Ver el sitio en español →
Start selling before you finish paying.
Tell us what you're going to sell and we'll send back a floor plan and a weekly payment — no obligation, no credit pull.