Zion Foodtrucks builds custom food trucks and food trailers for Nevada operators, built to Nevada’s health and fire rules from the first drawing. Food trucks from $55,000, food trailers from $40,000. You see your truck in CAD before we cut anything, every new build carries a one year warranty, and we source the vehicle for you.
Get a free quote or call Jacob at 719-722-2537.
The short answer for Nevada buyers
Nevada does not have one food truck permit. It has five health authorities, and each one permits trucks separately: the Southern Nevada Health District for Clark County, Northern Nevada Public Health for Washoe County, Carson City Health and Human Services for Carson City and Douglas County, the Central Nevada Health District for four central counties, and the Nevada Department of Agriculture for most of the rest. All of them start from the same state regulation, NAC 446, and the two big districts add their own rules on top. A truck that is drawn to the strictest of those rules passes plan review anywhere in the state.
The other thing that makes Nevada different is the weather at both ends of the state. A Las Vegas truck spends 78 days a year at or above 100 degrees. A Reno truck sees about 122 freezing nights a year and a Carson City truck about 146. One truck cannot be built the same way for both, so we ask where you will work before we draw anything.
Who we build for in Nevada
Most of our Nevada calls come from three kinds of buyers:
- First time owners in the Las Vegas valley who want to work private lots, office parks, events and catering across Las Vegas, Henderson and North Las Vegas.
- Owners in Reno, Sparks and Carson City who need a truck that works a summer event season and still runs in January.
- Hospitals, agencies and businesses that need a vehicle that is not a food truck at all, like the outreach vans and the mobile stage truck we built for Carson City.
We build in Woodland Park, Colorado and deliver across the West. Over 1,000 food trucks, food trailers, bus conversions and van conversions have left our shop.
Who permits your truck: the five health authorities
| Where you will sell | Health authority | Plan review and annual permit (published fees) |
|---|---|---|
| Clark County: Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, the Strip | Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) | $658 plan review, $335 annual permit for a mobile food service unit, from 1 July 2026 |
| Washoe County: Reno, Sparks | Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH), formerly Washoe County Health District | $706 application, then $338, $469 or $1,334 a year depending on risk level, from 1 July 2026; plan review from $601 |
| Carson City and Douglas County, including Stateline | Carson City Health and Human Services (CCHHS) | Carson City: $75 plan review and $75 a year. Douglas County: $166 plan review and $166 a year under NAC 446.840 |
| Churchill (including Fallon), Eureka, Mineral, Pershing | Central Nevada Health District (CNHD) | Confirm with CNHD in Fallon, 775-867-8181 |
| Lyon, Storey, Elko, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Nye, White Pine, Esmeralda | Nevada Department of Agriculture Food Safety Program | $166 plan review and $166 a year under NAC 446.840; Food Safety 775-684-5280 |
The state side changed in 2025. SB 466 moved food establishment permitting from the Division of Public and Behavioral Health to the Nevada Department of Agriculture on 1 July 2025, and the statute now lives in NRS chapter 580. If you read a guide that sends you to the old state health division for a rural permit, it is out of date.
A permit does not follow the truck from one district to the next. NAC 446.734 says a permit is not transferable to another vehicle, NAC 446.758 says the unit reports daily to an approved servicing area, and each district has its own fee schedule. So a truck that works Las Vegas in the spring and Reno in the summer holds two health permits. Our Nevada food truck permits guide covers every district in detail.
What a Nevada ready truck needs
NAC 446 sets the statewide baseline for mobile units, and it is specific. These are the lines we design to on every Nevada build:
- Plans approved before construction. NAC 446.736 requires the health authority to approve plans before the unit is built, and the packet has to show the make and model of every piece of food equipment, the plumbing and electrical layout, the tank locations, the finish materials and the lighting. We provide the build documentation, plumbing schematics and equipment specs your health department needs.
- At least 40 gallons of fresh water. NAC 446.748 sets 40 gallons as the minimum where the unit does food prep, handwashing and warewashing on board, with hot and cold water under pressure.
- A waste tank at least 15 percent bigger than the fresh tank, sloped to drain, with no overflow outlet (NAC 446.753).
- Water and waste systems that work below freezing. Both NAC 446.748 and 446.753 say the systems must be operable in subfreezing temperatures, and NAC 446.747 says hot and cold holding must work in all climatic conditions, including subfreezing and extremely hot weather.
- Your business name on both sides and the rear in letters at least 3 inches tall, in a contrasting color (NAC 446.738). SNHD also wants the address or phone number with it and the letters readable from 50 feet.
- Mechanical refrigeration for cold holding (NAC 446.747), a separate hand sink with warm water (446.756), and a three compartment sink with a swivel mixing faucet if you reuse utensils (446.757).
- Light colored, washable surfaces, a coved skid resistant floor and at least 50 foot candles of light on every work surface (NAC 446.757).
- No cooling on board. NAC 446.744 prohibits cooling hot food inside a mobile unit, so anything cooked ahead is cooked and cooled at your servicing area and reheated to 165 degrees on the truck.
Clark County adds more through SNHD’s food regulations, chapter 10: no more than two service openings, each no larger than 18 inches square and self closing or protected by an air curtain; at least 6 feet of interior height; tanks integral to the unit; and cooling and ventilation that keep the inside of the truck below 100 degrees. That last rule matters more in Las Vegas than anything else on this page, and it is a build decision, not an operating one.
Fire code and propane in Nevada
The fire side is more uniform than the health side. Clark County adopted the 2024 International Fire Code with the Southern Nevada amendments effective January 2026, the City of Las Vegas did the same from 5 January 2026, and Reno has adopted the 2024 code. Under the 2024 code the food truck rules sit in Section 4106 and a truck with appliances that produce smoke or grease laden vapors needs a fire operational permit. The State Fire Marshal’s own rule, for the counties it covers, still adopts the 2018 code.
What the inspectors look for is consistent across the state:
- A Type I hood over the cook line with an automatic fire suppression system, cleaned and serviced on schedule. Las Vegas Fire and Rescue lists hood cleaning quarterly and suppression service every six months.
- A Class K extinguisher where you fry or cook with grease (IFC 906.4), plus the ABC extinguisher your fire department specifies. The City of Las Vegas fire inspection sheet asks for a 2A:10BC.
- No more than 200 pounds of propane for the cooking appliances, with containers secured, not on the roof, not ahead of the front axle and not past the rear bumper, and at least 18 inches from heat sources. That is the Nevada LP Gas Board’s mobile food facility check.
- A listed propane leak alarm, and under the Southern Nevada amendments a methane alarm as well.
- Clark County also checks for a manual pull station 42 to 48 inches off the floor near the exit.
Every year the propane system has to be inspected by a company licensed by the Nevada LP Gas Board, which signs the Board’s gas system check form and applies a 3.5 inch “Mobile Food Facility Inspected” decal near the tanks. SNHD asks for the Nevada LP gas inspection as part of plan review, so it has to be right before the health permit, not after. Our fire suppression guide and LP gas testing guide explain what the inspector is looking at.
North and south Nevada need different trucks
| Station (NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals) | Elevation | January low | July high | Days at 100 or more | Nights at 32 or below |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Las Vegas (Harry Reid airport) | about 2,131 ft | 40.5 | 104.5 | 78.2 | 9.8 |
| Reno (Reno Tahoe airport) | about 4,410 ft | 26.1 | 93.9 | 6.0 | 121.9 |
| Carson City | about 4,761 ft | 24.1 | 89.5 | 1.1 | 146.0 |
| Elko | about 5,030 ft | 16.0 | 91.8 | 2.6 | 194.8 |
Southern Nevada: heat is the design problem
A July night in Las Vegas averages 82 degrees, so a truck parked in the sun never really cools down between shifts. Add a griddle, a fryer and a hood pulling hot air through the box and the refrigeration and the crew are working against the building every hour of the day. That is why SNHD writes the 100 degree interior rule into its regulation. For a southern Nevada build we size the air conditioning for the cook line, give the refrigeration condensers room to breathe and keep them away from the hot side, keep the generator in its own vented box, and spec reach in units rated for a hot kitchen.
Northern Nevada: freezing nights and altitude
Reno, Sparks and Carson City see freezing nights from late fall into spring, and Elko sees almost 195 a year. A line that freezes once with water in it splits. For a northern build we keep tanks and lines inside the heated envelope where we can, add heated blankets on the tanks, and walk you through draining down at the end of a cold night. If you ask, we build the walls heavier, with 1.5 inch insulation and 9/16 inch plywood instead of the usual 1 inch and 1/2 inch, and fit a bigger water heater. It is not a named package and it does not add much on our side, so if you are buying for somewhere with a real winter, ask.
Altitude matters too. The National Fuel Gas Code (NFPA 54) says gas appliance input ratings apply up to 2,000 feet and are reduced above that, at 4 percent per 1,000 feet, as the local authority allows or as the appliance manufacturer specifies. Reno and Carson City sit well above that line and Lake Tahoe’s rim is at 6,223 feet. We set up the gas appliances for the altitude you will actually work at.
How delivery to Nevada works
We build in Woodland Park, Colorado. By road it is roughly 770 miles to Las Vegas on I-70 and I-15, about a 14 hour drive, and roughly 1,070 miles to Reno and 1,080 to Carson City through Utah on I-80, about 19 hours. Delivery is quoted with your build.
The order that works in Nevada:
- Tell us where you will sell. The district decides the paperwork and the climate decides parts of the build.
- Approve your layout in CAD. You see the truck before we build it.
- Submit plan review. We give you the drawings and equipment specs, and you submit them to SNHD, NNPH, CCHHS, CNHD or the Department of Agriculture before we start building.
- Line up a commissary or servicing area. Every district requires one, and the agreement is part of the application.
- We build. A typical build takes about six weeks in the shop, and eight to twelve weeks from design approval to delivery.
- Register the truck. The Nevada DMV wants a VIN inspection on form VP 015, insurance from a Nevada licensed carrier and the title or certificate of origin. Trailers must be registered in person.
- Get the annual LP gas inspection, then your health and fire inspections. Then the city or county business license.
On tax: Nevada credits sales tax paid in another state on a vehicle you bring in, and you pay the difference if your Nevada county’s rate is higher, according to the Nevada Department of Taxation.
Our Nevada builds
Our first Nevada delivery was a pair of Ford Transit outreach vans for Carson Tahoe Health in Carson City. They are not food trucks, which is part of why they are interesting: no Carson City permit exists for that kind of vehicle. The same customer also had us build a mobile stage truck with a fold down stage and a podcast booth.
Nevada city guides
Each of these covers the local business license, where a truck can and cannot park, the fire department and the events that matter in that city:
- Las Vegas food truck permits and rules
- Henderson food truck permits and rules
- North Las Vegas food truck permits and rules
- Reno food truck permits and rules
- Sparks food truck permits and rules
- Carson City food truck permits and rules
- The full Nevada food truck permits guide
Also useful: our cold weather food truck guide, the all electric food truck guide and what a food truck costs in 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Who issues a food truck health permit in Nevada?
It depends on the county. The Southern Nevada Health District covers Clark County, Northern Nevada Public Health covers Washoe County, Carson City Health and Human Services covers Carson City and Douglas County, the Central Nevada Health District covers Churchill, Eureka, Mineral and Pershing, and the Nevada Department of Agriculture covers the remaining rural counties, including Lyon and Storey.
Can I use one Nevada permit statewide?
No. Each district permits separately. A permit is not transferable to another vehicle under NAC 446.734, the truck has to report daily to an approved servicing area under NAC 446.758, and each district has its own fees. A truck that works both Las Vegas and Reno holds two health permits.
Do I need plan approval before you build my truck?
Yes. NAC 446.736 requires the health authority to approve plans before the unit is built, including the make and model of every piece of food equipment. We provide the drawings, plumbing schematics and equipment specs, and the review runs while we prepare the build.
How big do my water tanks need to be in Nevada?
At least 40 gallons of fresh water where you prep, wash hands and wash utensils on board (NAC 446.748), and a waste tank at least 15 percent larger than the fresh tank (NAC 446.753). Both systems must work in freezing weather.
Will my truck hold temperature in a Las Vegas summer?
It will if it is built for it. Las Vegas averages a 104.5 degree high and an 82 degree low in July, and SNHD requires the inside of the truck to stay below 100 degrees. We size the air conditioning, refrigeration and condenser airflow for the heat on every southern Nevada build.
How much propane can a food truck carry in Nevada?
No more than 200 pounds for the cooking appliances under the Nevada LP Gas Board mobile food facility check, and the system has to be inspected every year by a Board licensed company that applies the Board decal.
What does a food truck cost for Nevada?
Our custom food trucks start at $55,000 and custom food trailers start at $40,000. We source the vehicle for you, and the written quote lists every line item.
Do you deliver to Las Vegas and Reno?
Yes. Delivery is quoted with your build. It is roughly 770 miles from our shop to Las Vegas and about 1,070 miles to Reno.
How do I register a Colorado built truck in Nevada?
The Nevada DMV wants a VIN inspection on form VP 015, insurance from a Nevada licensed carrier and the title or certificate of origin. Trailers have to be registered in person.
Start your Nevada build
Tell us what you want to cook and where in Nevada you want to sell it. We will send a written quote, a spec sheet your health district can review and a CAD drawing of your layout. Food trucks from $55,000, food trailers from $40,000, one year warranty on every new build.
Request a quote or call Jacob at 719-722-2537.