Food Truck Inspection Requirements in Gillette, WY: Your 2026 Campbell County Guide

Gillette is the energy capital of Wyoming. The city sits at the heart of the Powder River Basin, the largest coal producing region in the country, with more than 40 percent of US coal moving through its operations. The economy here is built on coal, oil, natural gas, and the contractor labor that runs all of them. For a food truck operator, that means three things: high disposable income for a city its size, steady year round demand for crew catering and contractor lunch service, and a customer base that’s used to paying real money for real food. The city’s permanent population is around 33,000, but the daytime workforce in and around the surrounding mines and gas fields pushes that closer to 50,000.

Gillette’s food truck regulatory structure changed in 2025. The city now requires every mobile food vendor operating inside city limits to get a city permit through the City Clerk’s office, and that’s on top of the Campbell County Public Health food permit and the state-level requirements that already applied. We’re Zion Foodtrucks, based in Woodland Park, Colorado, about a six and a half hour drive from Gillette. We’ve built smoker trailers and stepvan units for Wyoming operators serving the Powder River Basin contractor market, and this guide reflects what we’ve learned about the Gillette licensing path under the new ordinance.

How Gillette and Campbell County Food Truck Permits Actually Work

Three regulators touch a Gillette food truck. The City of Gillette, through the City Clerk’s office at City Hall, issues the mobile food vendor permit (new requirement in 2025, and a fire department safety inspection is required before the city will issue the permit). Campbell County Public Health at 2301 South 4-J Road handles the food vendor permit for selling food in Campbell County. And the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Consumer Health Services Division, sits as the state level food licensing authority because Campbell County is not one of the six Wyoming counties that runs its own local health department.

This is a stack that’s specific to Gillette. The City of Gillette’s vendor ordinance took effect in 2025, requiring all food trucks, ice cream trucks, mobile food vendors, and any vendor selling consumable products at farmers markets, bazaars, and similar events to hold a current city permit. The 2025 permits were printed on orange paper and had to be openly displayed during operation. The 2026 permits continue that practice and the calendar-year annual fee is $75.

Campbell County Public Health permits run alongside the city ordinance. The county fee is $25 to sell food items in Campbell County. Campbell County Fire Protection District handles fire safety in county areas; Gillette Fire Department handles in-city.

Permits and Licenses Required to Operate a Food Truck in Gillette

Wyoming business entity (LLC or corporation). Filed with the Wyoming Secretary of State at sos.wyo.gov. About $102 to file an LLC, $60 minimum annual report.
Wyoming sales/use tax license. Free, applied through the Wyoming Internet Filing System at excise-wyifs.wy.gov. Gillette’s combined sales tax rate is currently 5 percent (4 percent state, 1 percent Campbell County).
Wyoming Department of Agriculture food service license. Issued by Consumer Health Services. $100 annual fee for the state CHS license. Plan review required for new mobile units. Apply by calling (307) 777-7211.
Campbell County Public Health food permit. $25 fee to sell food in Campbell County. Issued by Campbell County Public Health at 2301 South 4-J Road, Gillette.
City of Gillette mobile food vendor permit. $75 annual fee, calendar year. Required for any mobile vendor operating in city limits. Apply at the City Clerk’s office, City Hall, 201 East 5th Street. Fire department safety inspection required before the permit issues.
Gillette Fire Department safety inspection. Required before the city vendor permit is issued. Schedule through Gillette Fire Department.
Commissary letter. Required by Wyoming food code unless the unit is fully self-contained.
Food Protection Manager certification. ANSI accredited, required for the person in charge.
Food handler cards. Demonstration of knowledge required by Wyoming food code.
Annual propane system inspection. NFPA 58 compliant.
UL 300 fire suppression inspection. Tagged within six months at all times.
Commercial general liability and auto insurance. Required for vending on city or county property and most events.

Estimated First-Year Gillette Food Truck Costs

Wyoming LLC formation and first annual report: $162
Wyoming Department of Agriculture food service license: $100
Campbell County Public Health food permit: $25
City of Gillette mobile food vendor permit: $75
Gillette Fire Department inspection: $0 standard
Sales/use tax license: $0
ServSafe Food Protection Manager certification: $125
Food handler cards (3 employees): $30
Commissary kitchen rental (annual): $1,800 to $4,800
General liability insurance: $700 to $1,400
Commercial auto insurance: $1,300 to $2,400
UL 300 fire suppression semi-annual inspection: $200 to $400
Annual propane system inspection: $150 to $250
Hood and duct cleaning (quarterly): $600 to $1,200

Total first-year compliance lands in the $5,200 to $11,000 range, not counting the truck itself. Gillette’s licensing fees themselves are modest – the regulatory cost in this market is dominated by insurance, commissary rental, and ongoing fire suppression and propane compliance.

Fire Safety Inspection: What Gillette Fire Department Looks For

Gillette Fire Department’s inspection is the gating item under the new city ordinance. No fire approval, no city permit, no operation. The inspection follows the 2021 International Fire Code with NFPA 96 and NFPA 58 incorporated.

Type I hood meeting NFPA 96. Stainless construction, 6 inch overhang on all open sides of cooking equipment, listed grease filters at the prescribed angle.
UL 300 listed wet chemical fire suppression. Tagged within six months. Discharge nozzles aimed at all cooking surfaces and the plenum.
Manual pull station. In the path of egress, drops gas and electric to cooking equipment.
Mechanical gas shutoff. Tied to the suppression system.
K-Class fire extinguisher. Within 30 feet of the cookline, accessible without crossing the cookline.
2A:10B:C extinguisher. At the primary egress.
Propane installation. 200 lb aggregate maximum. Cylinders secured in vented compartment, NFPA 58 compliant fittings, regulators with overpressure protection, excess flow valves, listed LP-gas alarm in the system area.
CO detector. If a generator is on or near the truck.
Electrical compliance. GFCI on 120V circuits, no extension cords as permanent wiring.
Egress. Service window with positive latching, primary entry/exit door.

See a Zion Food Truck Fire Suppression System in Action

Read the video transcript: Fire Suppression / Denver French Truck

Hello and welcome design food trucks. Today we have another exciting project uh leading us. This one is of course going to be here in Denver and it's going to make um gourmet sandwiches. It is 18 ft long and it has a few tricks up its sleeve. Let's look outside and see its uh exterior and then go inside. goes on the outside. What catches your eye would be the the French themed um wrap on the outside. Very beautiful if I may say so. Um very tasteful. Ties all the sandwich theme together. Um that of course is the awning for the 5-ft window. Self-closing obviously as is required by code. The two exterior lights. You can also see the air conditioner on top. The air conditioner also has a heat pump. That is how you would fill water into the fresh water tank. That is how you drain water from the gray water tank. On the back you would see the RV door as we call it. Um basically the code does not allow the the kind of um roll uh the rollup shutter the rollup door that is not up to code which is why we have to do this. I apologize for the road noise. The truck is parked for delivery. So um that is how you would drain the black water tank. This truck has a bathroom inside. So that's how you would train it. Of course that's the shore power connection the generator box of course which is as you can see lockable. It opens up and uh exposes the generator. That obviously is how the that is how the um that's actually where the um propane tank is. We call them underbelly tanks. you don't like them hanging out in the back of the truck. Um, it's a a fire risk in case if it's a rear ended or whatever. Now, let's go inside and see its many features. This truck, as with others that we build, has two doors, one in the back, one in the front. Code requires that any space a human occupies um must have a ingress and an ingress. This is the ingress, of course. Uh, right in front is the refrigerator. And right here is a range. And the range has a griddle and two burners. And the oven, of course, which is why it's a range. Um, the hood, as you can see, slightly oversized. This is because we believe that this customer might add more equipment as they go, you know, as they go about their business. the menu might change. Um maybe they will want soups or something else. Um which is why we left a little bit of space here and a larger hood. Talking about sandwiches, that's what we're going to be making the sandwiches on. This is a sandwich prep table, a refrigerated sandwich prep table. A freezer right there. The freezer is actually resting on a generator box. So you saw that door on the outside. Um, this is the generator box for it. Right there is a little freshwater tank and uh what it is for um is the toilet. This um truck has a restroom inside for the customer's personal use. Not really open to the public, but it is there. Now, you cannot have um obviously the other plumbing is on this side. Um so you cannot have these uh connecting together. What I mean is so the bathroom the water from the bathroom cannot at any point interact with the water um for the you know hand washing or or bear washing which is why it has completely different systems, different setups. So freshwater tank for the bathroom. There's a little water heater behind it. Of course it has its own water pump. And right there is the bathroom toilet, hand wash sink. Of course, hand wash sink also has hot water. This is the the pull tab for the uh fire extinguisher. On this side you would see a larger water heater and this is required because um of the area where this truck is going to be operating in. Food trucks as you know are regulated by um by county code at least for now. The wiring you would see just like with all our trucks um every piece of equipment has its own breaker. They're all home run so to speak. water heater, mop sink, hand wash sink, three compartment sink, and the um the service window. The service window as always is self-closing. So, you lift up, pass your product, and it closes by itself. The controller for the air conditioner, which is right here. lights. Of course, this truck has an all stainless construction and uh inside the walls is 1 in of insulation, 9/16 in of plywood. The floor is aluminum diamond plate and uh addition of the insulation makes it a very comfortable place to work in. If you have any questions or if you would like a food truck like this uh built for yourself, please do contact us through our website zfotrs.com or our phone number 7209-2653. Thank you. Have a nice day.

Propane Gas System Walkthrough

Read the video transcript: Gas System Explainer

Hello and welcome to Zan Food Trucks. Today we going to do a video to show you how to turn on all the propane equipment in a food truck. Um, this truck, as in all our food trucks, has an underbelly tank. Santiago is going to demonstrate how to turn on uh the propane. There is an access panel right there. And then you would go down there and open that valve. Now gas is flowing into the truck. Let's follow Santiago inside. As of now, the propane system is live. That means propane is flowing into the pilot valves, pilot uh lights. You just have to give it a second for uh to flush out um the air that is trapped inside. And now you would see that the pilots are lit. And then go down there and see it's turning on the pilot. Oops. Can see the pilots are now lit. He used this access hole to do that. In this case, this is a 36-in griddle, so it has three pilots. This has two pilots. The pilots are literally really small um burners essentially. You can see there one and two. And now if you were to turn this on on um you would see that the burners in the bottom would turn on. See that the blue light at the bottom? That is the the burners for the grill. Perfect. Thank you so much, Santiago. That demonstrate that's a quick demonstration on how to turn on the the propane in a food truck. Now, to turn that off, basically, you do the reverse. That is, of course, you don't have to extinguish the pilots. Um, you just have to to close the valve right there. Now, this one is a 80 lb propane tank. You can see it's almost full. In a few minutes, seconds, that is the the propane in the lines would burn out and the pilots themselves would extinguish. You can see they're already going orange. At that time, the truck is ready to go to its next location. If you have any questions, call us um on our phone number 720209-2653 or on uh contact us through our website designuttras.com. Thank you. Have a nice day.

Propane is where a lot of Gillette trucks fail their fire inspection. Gillette winters are serious – January average lows around 5°F, regular periods below zero, and the wind off the Powder River Basin doesn’t quit. Propane vaporization at low temperature is a real engineering problem on a smaller cylinder. We typically install operators in this market on dual 100 lb cylinders or 100 lb plus 60 lb pairs depending on draw, with cold weather regulators and a manifold switchover valve. The video above walks through the gas system architecture we install on Wyoming-bound builds.

Campbell County Public Health Inspection

Campbell County does not run a local health department in the same sense as Laramie, Natrona, Sweetwater, or Teton counties. Food licensing for the county and for Gillette goes through the Wyoming Department of Agriculture Consumer Health Services, with Campbell County Public Health holding the local food vendor permit and supporting public health programs. The actual food safety inspection is done by CHS field staff working through the Cheyenne office. Inspection scope follows the FDA Food Code framework with Wyoming amendments.

Handwash sink. Dedicated, hot water at 100°F minimum, soap, single-use towels.
Three compartment sink. Compartments large enough for your largest equipment.
Fresh and waste water capacity. Wastewater 15 percent larger than fresh water.
Refrigeration. All TCS food at 41°F or below, calibrated probe thermometer.
Hot holding. 135°F or above for TCS food.
Cooking temperatures. 165°F poultry, 155°F ground meat, 145°F whole muscle and seafood.
Date marking. Refrigerated product over 24 hours marked with discard date.
Commissary log. Documentation of water filling, waste dumping, food storage off-truck.
Person in charge demonstration of knowledge. Inspector questions on reportable illnesses, allergens, TCS food.
Pest exclusion. Window screens, no openings around service window or door.

The Commissary Kitchen Requirement in Gillette

Wyoming food code requires every mobile unit that isn’t fully self-contained to operate from a permitted commissary. Home kitchens are not allowed. The commissary letter has to come from a kitchen with a current Wyoming food license, and the licensing authority will verify.

Gillette’s commissary market is thinner than larger Wyoming cities, but workable. Most Gillette operators work out of restaurant kitchens leasing off-hours capacity. Some commissary access has historically come through hotels with banquet kitchens (Holiday Inn, Best Western Tower, La Quinta), school kitchens during summer with appropriate permits, and a handful of restaurants with cleaner off-hours capacity. The going rate for off-hours commissary access in Gillette is typically $250 to $500 per month for a few hours of weekly use, water and waste service, and walk-in cooler access.

Wyoming State Considerations for Gillette Operators

Gillette is in CHS jurisdiction, meaning your state food service license through Wyoming Department of Agriculture is your primary food safety credential. The annual CHS license is $100. Plan review through CHS is required for any new mobile unit, and the field inspector for the Powder River Basin region handles your initial inspection and the at-least-annual followups.

Wyoming’s no state income tax structure is particularly meaningful for Gillette operators. Powder River Basin contractor catering scales fast – feeding 60 to 200 person crews at coal mines, oil and gas operations, and construction sites can take a single operator from $50,000 in revenue to $250,000 in revenue inside two years. The state tax savings versus operating in Colorado or Utah on similar revenue is meaningful, often $5,000 to $9,000 per year on a fully loaded operation.

Gillette’s combined sales tax rate is 5 percent. Prepared food is fully taxable. For oilfield and mine catering, sales tax is sourced to the location of delivery – so a job at a mine in Campbell County is Campbell County tax, a job at an oil field operation in neighboring Converse County is Converse County tax (also 5 percent in 2026). Most of the Powder River Basin region runs at the 5 percent rate.

Step-by-Step: How to Get Your Gillette Food Truck Licensed

Form your Wyoming LLC. Online filing at sos.wyo.gov, about $102. Get an EIN.
Register for sales tax. Wyoming Internet Filing System. Free.
Call Wyoming Department of Agriculture Consumer Health Services. (307) 777-7211. Ask for the mobile food unit plan review packet.
Lock down your commissary. Letter on the commissary’s letterhead with their license number.
Submit the plan review. Floor plan, equipment list with NSF certifications, water and waste tank capacities, electrical and plumbing schematics, finish schedule, menu, food flow narrative, commissary letter.
Build or buy your truck to spec. Working with us at Zion means the plan review packet ships with the unit, sized for CHS clearance.
Schedule the Gillette Fire Department inspection. The city won’t issue your vendor permit without it.
Schedule the CHS final inspection. After fire approval. Truck must be at the inspection location with water filled, equipment running.
Pay the CHS license fee. $100 annual.
Apply for the Campbell County Public Health food permit. $25 fee at 2301 South 4-J Road, Gillette.
Apply for the City of Gillette mobile food vendor permit. $75 calendar year fee at City Hall, 201 East 5th Street. Display the orange permit during operations.
Display all licenses inside the truck. CHS license, county permit, city permit, suppression tag, propane inspection certificate.

Common Reasons Food Trucks Fail Gillette Inspections

Operating without the new city vendor permit. The 2025 ordinance changed the rules. City code enforcement does check, especially during summer events.
Plan review submitted without commissary letter. CHS won’t accept it.
Wastewater tank undersized. 15 percent rule.
Suppression tag past six months. Common fail point on used trucks bought from out of state.
Cold weather propane install inadequate. Single small cylinder won’t vaporize fast enough on a 0°F morning. Inspectors don’t fail on this directly, but you’ll fail in operation when you can’t keep the equipment fired during a busy contractor lunch.
K-Class extinguisher missing or in the wrong location.
No food handler documentation visible. Have cards on the truck.
Generator carbon monoxide migration into the customer queue area. Fire marshal may flag.
Cold holding equipment can’t make 41°F under load. Especially on hot summer afternoons after a long day at a mine site.

Gillette-Specific Operating Context: Where to Park, When to Be There

Gillette’s market is heavily contractor and shift-driven, with significant event lift in the summer. The smartest Gillette operations build steady contractor accounts as their floor revenue and treat events as upside. The contractor catering economy in the Powder River Basin is unlike anywhere else in Wyoming. Crews working 12-hour shifts at coal mines and gas operations expect serious food, served reliably, in any weather. Operators who can deliver consistently to those crews build long-term contracts that other Wyoming food truck markets simply don’t offer.

Powder River Basin contractor catering. Coal mines (Black Thunder, North Antelope Rochelle, Eagle Butte, Buckskin), oil and gas operations across Campbell and Converse counties, and construction projects all run shift work that food trucks feed. Pay rates are higher than typical urban food truck work; logistics are demanding (long drives to job sites, generator power, cold weather operating).
Cam-plex. The Campbell County multi-event facility hosts the Wyoming State Fair area, the Wyoming Quarter Horse Association events, the National Outboard Association nationals, and concerts through the year. Major event lift weekend after weekend in summer.
Energy Capital Sports Complex. Tournament weekends draw regional youth sports families to Gillette.
Gillette Foundation Park summer concerts.
National High School Finals Rodeo. When held at Cam-plex, draws thousands of competitors and families.
Brewery patios and bar nights. Pokey’s Bar, Mingles, the Boot Hill, and others run food truck nights.
Gillette College. Northern Wyoming Community College District’s Gillette campus runs steady lunch traffic.
Rockpile Museum events. Community-driven event programming.
Campbell County School District events. Various school-year programs.

Gillette Food Truck FAQ

Can I cater at a coal mine or oil field site without additional permits?

The food licensing side is covered by your CHS license (recognized statewide for CHS jurisdiction operations) plus the Campbell County Public Health permit. The site itself usually has additional requirements imposed by the operator: site-specific safety briefings, MSHA training awareness for mine sites, hi-vis clothing, contractor insurance certifications. The food side is simple; the access side is contract-driven.

What does a typical contractor catering contract pay?

Pricing varies but Powder River Basin contractor catering typically runs $12 to $18 per plate for solid lunch service with multiple meat options, sides, and beverages. Mine site catering runs higher because of the logistics. Crew counts for a single contract typically range from 30 to 200 people. Long term contracts (running monthly to quarterly) are not unusual.

Do I need the Campbell County Public Health permit if I have a state CHS license?

The county’s $25 permit is required to sell food in Campbell County in addition to the state license. It’s a separate authority covering county public health programs that intersect with food sales. The two run in parallel.

What happens if I show up at the city without the new mobile vendor permit?

Code enforcement can shut you down. The 2025 ordinance specifically aimed at clarifying that food trucks, ice cream trucks, sandwich vendors, and similar mobile food operations need the city permit to operate inside Gillette city limits, including at farmers markets and bazaars. The orange paper permit format made it visually obvious which vendors were compliant during the rollout year.

How do I handle cold weather operations in Gillette?

Gillette is the cold weather operating challenge in Wyoming alongside Sheridan. Year round operation requires heated water bays, heat traced exterior plumbing, propane heat in the customer area, and a propane installation sized to handle low temperature vaporization. We typically build for this market with dual 100 lb cylinders, cold weather regulators, and an insulated water and waste compartment with thermostatically controlled heat. Without that, the truck runs out of usable propane during a January contractor lunch and you’re scrambling.

Can I use a Gillette truck to operate in Sheridan or Casper?

Sheridan is in CHS jurisdiction, so your state license covers it (you’d contact Sheridan County Public Health for a temporary event permit if applicable). Casper is in Natrona County local health jurisdiction (CNCHD), so for sustained Casper operations you’d need a CNCHD permit on top of the state license. For one-off events, Casper offers temporary food permits.

How do contractor catering contracts get structured?

Powder River Basin contractor catering contracts typically run as monthly or quarterly agreements between the food truck operator and the site contractor. Pricing is per-plate or per-person-per-day, with logistical costs (drive time to remote sites, generator fuel, ice and water resupply) factored in. Most contracts include a minimum guaranteed crew count, a meal schedule, and provisions for site-specific requirements like MSHA awareness and hi-vis clothing. Insurance riders covering the operator on the contractor’s site are universal. Long-term contractor catering can run two to three years for stable customers.

What’s the deal with farmers markets and bazaars under the new ordinance?

The 2025 ordinance specifically extended the city vendor permit requirement to vendors at farmers markets, bazaars, and similar events selling consumable products. Previously, a farmers market vendor might have operated under the market’s umbrella without a separate city license. The new rule requires every individual food vendor to hold their own current city permit, even when participating in a permitted market.

Gillette Food Truck Official Resources and Contacts

City of Gillette, City Clerk: 201 East 5th Street, Gillette, WY 82716 – gillettewy.gov
Gillette Fire Department: (307) 686-5252
Campbell County Public Health: 2301 South 4-J Road, Gillette, WY 82718 – (307) 682-7275 – campbellcountywy.gov/296/Public-Health
Campbell County Fire Protection District: (307) 682-5365
Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Consumer Health Services: 6607 Campstool Road, Cheyenne, WY 82002 – (307) 777-7211
Wyoming Department of Revenue, Excise Tax Division: 122 W. 25th Street, Cheyenne, WY 82002 – (307) 777-5200
Wyoming Secretary of State (business filings): Capitol Building, 200 W. 24th Street, Cheyenne, WY 82002 – (307) 777-7311
Cam-plex (event venue): 1635 Reata Drive, Gillette, WY 82718 – cam-plex.com
Visit Gillette (event calendar): visitgillettewright.com

How Zion Foodtrucks Helps Gillette Operators

We’re based in Woodland Park, Colorado, about a six and a half hour drive from Gillette. We’ve built and delivered units to operators serving Powder River Basin contractor catering, Cam-plex events, and the local Gillette restaurant scene. Every truck we deliver to a Gillette client ships with the documentation Wyoming Department of Agriculture, Campbell County Public Health, and Gillette Fire Department will ask for: NSF certifications on food contact equipment, UL 300 listed wet chemical fire suppression with installation paperwork, NFPA 58 compliant propane installation engineered for Wyoming cold weather operation, and an as-built schematic that drops cleanly into the CHS plan review packet.

Our Wyoming-bound builds typically include dual 100 lb propane cylinders with cold weather regulators, oversized water and waste capacity for full day contractor catering, heat traced exterior plumbing, and equipment selection sized for crew volume. If you’re starting a Gillette truck or replacing an aging unit, call us at (719) 722-2537 or email info@milehighfoodtrucks.com. We’ll put together a build quote, a CHS plan review packet outline, and a delivery timeline in one phone call. We deliver to Gillette directly.

Related Wyoming Food Truck Guides

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