What’s the difference between food trucks and food carts?

  • Food trucks and trailers have four walls and a roof. They don't fit into a standard so they require a gas installation permit and inspection by a gas safety officer. Once it passes the final on-site inspection, a Record of Installation Permit decal will be put on by the safety officer.
     
  • Food carts don’t have four walls and a roof. They fit within the scope of ANSI Z83.11-2016 CSA 1.8-2016 and must be certified by an accredited certification agency. A certification mark is used as evidence of certification.

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The process to having a food truck or trailer approved includes:

  • a licensed contractor taking out a Commercial Installation permit for the installation of the gas fuel system and appliances,
  • a licensed contractor requests inspections at each stage of construction of the unit, and, once complete,
  • a safety officer performs an assessment of the installation and, if it passes, the safety officer will place a decal on the vehicle.

The decal is valid for the life of the food truck or trailer as long as there are no changes to the gas system or appliances. If any changes are made, the decal is then void and a new permit process would be required to have a new decal applied to the unit.

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