Houston · Harris County
Custom food trailers for Houston, Texas.
We build them from scratch in our own Texas shop, finance them ourselves with weekly payments, and deliver to Houston. About three and a half hours from our shop — we deliver and set up on site.
- 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 Houston market, honestly
Houston is the biggest food trailer market in Texas and probably the most competitive food city in the South. It's also the most diverse: a trailer selling Salvadoran pupusas, one selling Viet-Cajun crawfish and one selling brisket tacos can all thrive within a mile of each other. The flip side is that Houston buyers are sophisticated — a mediocre concept in a beautiful trailer will not carry you here.
Where Houston operators actually park
- Brewery and taproom lots across the Heights, EaDo and Spring Branch — most run rotating vendors
- Established trailer parks and pods along Washington Avenue and in Midtown
- Industrial and warehouse districts at lunch, which is where the steady weekday money is
- Long Point, Bellaire Boulevard and the Gulfton corridor for concentrated Hispanic and Asian trade
- Weekend markets and the enormous event calendar — Rodeo season alone is a business
Trailers we've delivered to Houston
- Mr. Bill's BBQ — 8 × 20 ft, with a covered porch
- Smash Shack — 8 × 14 ft, burgers
Real trailers, real owners. If you want to talk to one of them before you buy from us, ask and we'll give you the number.
Permits and inspections in Houston — what changed in 2026
Houston's own mobile food unit permits stopped being valid on July 1, 2026. The City's health department page confirms permitting authority transferred to Texas DSHS under HB 2844 and 25 TAC Chapter 226. If someone is quoting you Houston permit fees, their information is from before the change.
The Houston Fire Marshal still runs LP-Gas permitting — an L1 annual permit tied to a fixed address, or an L3 for temporary events — and it's required if you use propane, butane or isobutane. That's essentially every cooking trailer.
Houston's own inspection sheet is worth building to: commercial-grade equipment only, wastewater tank vents directed downward, and an LPG / explosive gases alarm — the sheet says in capitals not to substitute a carbon monoxide alarm or a smoke detector.
Houston's fire marshal wants LP-gas appliance inspection done within the previous 90 days by a company accredited by the Railroad Commission of Texas. On timing, the sheet allows a 10-minute grace on your appointment and states plainly that no extensions are given — so arrive early.
| 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 | Houston Fire Marshal — 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 Houston. 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 Houston
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 Houston
About three and a half hours from our shop — we deliver and set up on site. 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.
Houston — questions
Do you actually deliver to Houston?
Yes, regularly. About three and a half hours from our shop — we deliver and set up on site. Delivery is quoted with the build.
Do I need a Houston 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 Houston Fire Marshal, and you still have to comply with Houston's zoning, parking and right-of-way rules.
Can I get financing in Houston 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 Houston?
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.