Texas compliance
Built to pass. Guaranteed in writing.
Failing inspection is the most expensive week of a new food business — you have a trailer, a spot, a payment and no licence. We build to the current Texas rules by default and we put the guarantee in your contract.
- Spec'd to the Texas Mobile Food Vendor rules in force since July 1, 2026
- Built for the commissary exemption where you qualify — saving a recurring monthly cost
- 42-point pre-delivery check run before you ever meet an inspector
- If it fails on something we built, we fix it at our cost
No obligation. No credit pull to get a quote. We answer in one business day or we call you.
What we build to
Texas doesn't restate most numeric specifications in its own rules — it incorporates the FDA Food Code by reference, and fire requirements come from the International Fire Code as adopted locally. So "built to code" means chasing the specs into three separate documents. Here is where the numbers we build to actually come from.
| What we build | Where the requirement comes from |
|---|---|
| Wastewater 15% larger than fresh | FDA Food Code §5-401.11(A), incorporated by the Texas mobile food vendor rules. This is the single most-cited mobile-specific defect in Texas. Both tanks permanently installed, sloped to drain, and labelled. |
| Three-compartment sink, sized to your largest item | Texas rules require three compartments large enough to completely submerge the largest equipment or utensil. Inspectors bring your actual biggest pot to the sink. We size to your equipment list, not to a catalogue dimension. |
| Separate handwash sink, accessible and supplied | Required for anything other than exclusively prepackaged food, with soap and a drying device. Design failure mode: the sink exists but is blocked by equipment during service. |
| Hot and cold water under pressure at every sink | Food Code: at least 100°F at the handwashing sink (5-202.12), and at least 110°F in the wash compartment of the three-compartment sink (4-501.19) — the rinse and sanitise compartments have their own requirements. Undersized heaters fail during a rush, not during the inspection. |
| Smooth, non-absorbent, light, cleanable surfaces with coved junctions | Food Code §6-201.11 and §6-201.13. No exposed wood, no residential drywall, no porous grout, no carpet. Floor-to-wall junctions coved and sealed. |
| 16-mesh screening and protected outer openings | Food Code §6-202.15. Self-closing tight-fitting doors, screening at every vent and window. |
| Type I hood and UL-300-listed suppression | Fire code, not health code. IFC §319 covers mobile food preparation vehicles and requires an automatic fire-extinguishing system; the Type I hood requirement comes through the commercial cooking hood provisions (IFC/IMC), with NFPA 96 underneath. Semiannual servicing is the NFPA 17A standard, adopted in Texas via 28 TAC Ch. 34, by a firm licensed by the State Fire Marshal's Office at TDI. The system must cover every appliance surface — adding a fryer after the build breaks this. |
| Propane mounted to NFPA 58, within the IFC §319 capacity limit | IFC §319.8.1 caps aggregate propane at 200 lb. The mounting rules come from NFPA 58: not on the roof, not ahead of the front axle, not below the frame, not near the exhaust, not protruding past the body, with the relief valve vent at least three feet horizontally from any opening. Plus a vented compartment, rigid pipe through penetrations, shutoffs at appliance and supply, and a listed LP-gas alarm (some jurisdictions name UL 2075; the model code does not). |
| Wiring in conduit, GFCI throughout, proper shore inlet | Local fire and electrical code. No extension cords as permanent wiring, no double-male cords, covered boxes, weather-rated service inlet. |
| Lighting to Food Code levels, shielded over exposed food | Food Code §6-303.11: at least 10 fc in walk-ins and dry storage, 20 fc at handwashing, warewashing, toilet rooms and food self-service, and 50 fc where anyone works with food or with knives, slicers and grinders where employee safety is a factor. Shielded or shatter-resistant fixtures over exposed food. |
The commissary exemption — a build decision worth real money
This is the most useful thing on this page and almost nobody is talking about it.
Under the old system, essentially every Texas jurisdiction required a signed commissary agreement — a recurring monthly cost, commonly $400–$1,500. Health & Safety Code §437B.004(4)(D) now says the rules adopted under the chapter may not require commissary association if the vehicle carries the equipment necessary to comply with state law, and the DSHS rules at 25 TAC §226.6 set out the conditions.
Which means a recurring monthly cost has become largely a build decision. Four of the eight qualifying conditions are things we control on the shop floor:
| Qualifying condition (25 TAC §226.6, adopted 19 May 2026) | Who controls it |
|---|---|
| (A) Cooling, heating and hot/cold holding equipment sufficient in number and capacity, including safe overnight storage | Build decision — we size and spec it. |
| (B) Food stored to prevent cross-contamination | Build decision — layout and storage. |
| (C) Equipment, utensils and single-service articles stored to prevent contamination | Build decision — cabinetry and covers. |
| (D) Warewashing compartments large enough to completely cover the largest equipment | Build decision — sink sizing. |
| (E) Potable water from an approved source — expressly not from an untested well or a private residence | Your operating practice. |
| (F) Sewage and liquid waste removed at an approved facility | Your operating practice. |
| (G) Records including physical addresses and letters of authorisation for the locations used | Documentation — yours to keep. |
| (H) Records showing proof of loaded vehicle weight as issued by TxDOT | Documentation — we provide a weight record with your trailer. |
What we can't do for you
We build the trailer. These are yours, and we'll walk you through every one of them, but no builder can hand them to you:
- Your DSHS Mobile Food Vendor licence. Application, fees, and a pre-licensing inspection. Most custom trailers are Type III. State law requires DSHS to conduct the health inspection no later than the 14th day after a complete application is received.
- Certified Food Manager certificate where you prepare time/temperature-control-for-safety foods, plus food handler cards for staff.
- Local fire inspection — still local, still annual in practice.
- Texas sales tax permit from the Comptroller. No fee, though you may be required to post a security bond. Allow 2–3 weeks.
- Business registration or DBA, and insurance — property owners and event organisers will demand certificates even where the state doesn't.
- Trailer title and registration with TxDMV. We supply the assembled-trailer paperwork; you file it.
Compliance questions
Does a builder's guarantee actually mean anything?
Only if it's written into the contract with a defined remedy. "We build to code" is marketing. "If the unit fails a health or fire inspection on an item within our scope of work, we will remedy it at our cost and cover re-inspection" is a promise you can enforce. Ask any builder to show you that clause before you pay anything.
Who inspects my trailer now — the city or the state?
Since July 1, 2026 the licence is issued by Texas DSHS statewide. Many inspections are still carried out by your local health department acting as a contracted performing agency under an agreement with DSHS — El Paso and NET Health are confirmed examples — but participation is optional, so in some areas DSHS inspects directly.
Do I still need a city fire inspection?
Yes. Fire code stayed local, and §437B.101 expressly requires you to comply with local fire codes, location restrictions and zoning. There is a provision at §437B.004 about not requiring an additional fire inspection where the unit passed one within the preceding 12 months — but that section constrains the state's rules, and how a given city applies it is not settled. Keep the certificate in the trailer and raise it politely; don't plan on refusing an inspection.
How big does my water tank need to be?
Texas sets no minimum gallon capacity for the fresh water tank. What it does set is a ratio: the wastewater tank must be 15% larger than the potable water tank (FDA Food Code 5-401.11, incorporated by the Texas rules). Individual jurisdictions have historically imposed their own minimums, so check yours. We size the fresh tank to your menu and service length, then size the waste tank above the 15% minimum with margin — 40/50 or 50/60 gallon pairings are typical.
What actually fails trailers most often?
In our experience and from the published checklists: waste tank not 15% larger or not permanently installed; not enough hot water under pressure; a three-compartment sink too small to submerge the largest pan; a blocked or unsupplied handwash sink; porous surfaces and missing coving; propane mounted somewhere the fire code doesn't allow; expired suppression tags; no GFCI or wiring not in conduit; inadequate screening; and paperwork. Full checklist here.
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