The food business permit for a kitchen car (mobile sales) and the requirements for the 'prep site'

In short: to serve food from a kitchen car (mobile sales), you must obtain a food business permit for the vehicle (automobile) itself from the health center, and in principle a separate permit, matching the use, is also required for the "prep site" where you prepare ingredients (Article 55 of the Food Sanitation Act; the facility standards are set by each prefecture's ordinance under Article 54 of the same Act). This article is general information within the scope of preparing documents submitted to a public office; the judgement of whether the facility meets the standards and the on-site inspection are done by the health center, and our office (administrative scrivener) does not make specific hygiene judgements.

How does a kitchen car's (mobile sales') permit differ from a store's permit?

Under the Food Sanitation Act as amended and fully enforced on 1 June 2021, food businesses were organised into categories requiring a permit, requiring notification, or requiring neither. A person who runs a business requiring a permit must obtain the permit of the prefectural governor (including the mayor of a city with a health center or the head of a special ward) (Article 55, paragraph 1 of the Food Sanitation Act). A kitchen car obtains this permit with an "automobile" as its facility, and in many municipalities it is called "mobile food business." The framework is the same as a fixed store, but the facility is a vehicle and the cooking processes that can be done inside the vehicle are limited.

Another major difference is hygiene management in line with HACCP. Under the amended Act, in principle every business operator bears the duty to carry out hygiene management in accordance with standards set by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare ordinance (Article 51, paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Food Sanitation Act). A kitchen car is no exception: it is required to prepare a hygiene management plan and keep records. In addition, a food hygiene manager must be designated for each business.

Item	Fixed store	Kitchen car (automobile)
Basis	Article 55 of the Food Sanitation Act (business permit)	Same (the facility is an automobile; called "mobile food business" in many municipalities)
Facility standards	Ordinance under Article 54 of the Food Sanitation Act	Same (standards for the vehicle: water supply/drainage, hand-washing, etc.)
Hygiene management	Hygiene management in line with HACCP (Article 51)	Same
Cooking process	Can be completed inside the store	Processes in the vehicle are limited; prep is in principle done at a separate facility

Where do you look for the facility standards for a food business permit for the vehicle (automobile)?

The standards for a business facility are set by the prefecture by ordinance, for businesses that have a marked effect on public health (Article 54 of the Food Sanitation Act). Each prefecture's ordinance is built on the nationwide minimum line of the Enforcement Regulation of the Food Sanitation Act (Article 66-7 of the Enforcement Regulation and its appended table). For a kitchen car, roughly the following points are checked (the Enforcement Regulation and the guidance of each municipality, accessed 2026-11-01).

Point checked	Main content
Water supply / drainage	A storage tank and a drainage tank. In some municipalities the range of food you may serve changes with tank capacity (e.g., Ibaraki Prefecture divides the range of cooking you may do by classes of roughly 40 L, 80 L, and 200 L, accessed 2026-11-01)
Hand-washing facility	A facility where the cook can wash hands, connected to the water supply
Refrigeration / storage	Equipment that can control food temperature
Structure / partition	A structure and partition that avoid dust and exhaust and allow food to be handled hygienically

The tank-capacity classes differ by municipality and are not uniform nationwide. Before you buy or build the vehicle, it is safer to consult the health center with jurisdiction in advance, bringing the facility design drawings. If the facility is found not to meet the standards after completion, modifications may be required.

Why does the "prep site" need a separate business permit?

Because a kitchen car has limited equipment and water, many municipalities set limits on the cooking processes that can be done inside the vehicle (e.g., treating the cooking of raw food and full cooking involving pre-processing as not allowed; the guidance of each municipality, accessed 2026-11-01). Therefore, the pre-processing and prep of ingredients are, in principle, done at a fixed cooking facility (the prep site) that is separate from the vehicle and has obtained a business permit.

Because the prep site itself is also a facility handling food, a separate business permit matching the use (such as a restaurant business permit) is required for it. Depending on the municipality, you are asked to submit a copy of the prep site's permit when you apply for the kitchen car's permit. A home kitchen is in most cases not recognised as a prep site, because it uses household equipment and often lacks sufficient partitioning. One method is to use a licensed rental kitchen (shared kitchen) as the prep site.

Place	Permit needed	Typical role
The vehicle (kitchen car)	Food business permit for the automobile	Finishing, heating, plating, and other cooking within a hygienically unproblematic range
The prep site (fixed facility)	Business permit matching the use (such as a restaurant business)	Pre-processing, prep, and storage of ingredients

How much is done in the vehicle and from where the prep site takes over varies with the food you serve and the municipality's handling. Confirm the specific application with the health center.

How does the permit work when you operate across multiple health centers?

A food business permit has effect within the jurisdiction of the permitting authority (the prefectural governor, the mayor of a city with a health center, or the head of a special ward). After the 2021 amendment, the practice spread that within the same prefecture you may operate on one permit even across the areas of multiple health centers (e.g., in Ibaraki Prefecture, a permit obtained on or after January 2024 is valid throughout the prefecture, including Mito City, accessed 2026-11-01). On the other hand, if you operate in a different prefecture, you obtain a permit in each prefecture as a rule.

The range in which it is valid, and whether additional procedures or notifications are required at the municipality of an event you attend, differ by municipality. Once you decide the area, confirm the latest handling just before you write, both with the health center with jurisdiction over the vehicle's base and with the municipality with jurisdiction over the place you attend.

Range of operation	Principle
Multiple areas within the same prefecture	The practice of validity on one permit is spreading (depends on the municipality's handling)
Across different prefectures	As a rule, obtain a permit in each prefecture

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Who handles the health-center application, the vehicle structure, and the property (prep site)?

Starting a kitchen car moves the permit application, the vehicle, and the property in parallel. The roles are divided as follows, and each contracts and proceeds separately as an independent business.

• Preparing and submitting the documents to apply for the food business permit to the health center → Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office (administrative scrivener). We provide materials and information only and do not make specific hygiene or legal judgements
• The judgement of whether the facility meets the standards and the on-site inspection → the health center. The final judgement of conformity is made by the health center
• The structure and modification of the vehicle (installing water supply/drainage, hand-washing, refrigeration, etc.) → the vehicle manufacturer or modifier. The specifications of the hygiene equipment are decided after advance consultation with the health center
• Brokerage of the property (lease or acquisition) for the prep site → Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate broker), a separate business from Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office. It handles this under a separate contract as an independent business
• Where an attendance contract or a neighbourhood trouble becomes a legal dispute → a lawyer
• Incorporation registration when starting as a company → a judicial scrivener; tax and accounting → a tax accountant

The search for the prep site's property is handled by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd., a separate business from Yotsuba Administrative Scrivener Office, under a separate contract as an independent business. The vehicle modifier, the health center, the lawyer, the judicial scrivener, and the tax accountant each contract separately as an independent business. Each field is on the premise that you contract separately with each counter or qualified professional, and our office receives no referral fee. Consult us even at the stage before you buy the vehicle or lease the prep site. For the flow of engagement, see Engagement Flow; for fees, see Fee Schedule; and for our services, see Guide to Services. As related articles, see also The restaurant business permit and the health center's facility standards, The food manufacturing permit and the property's equipment standards, and The permit requirements for a special entertainment restaurant business.

FAQ

Q. Can a kitchen car operate on the vehicle's permit alone?
A. In principle, no. In addition to the food business permit for the vehicle (automobile) (Article 55 of the Food Sanitation Act), a separate permit matching the use is generally needed for the prep site where ingredients are pre-processed, because many municipalities limit the cooking processes inside the vehicle. How much can be done inside the vehicle varies with the food you serve and the municipality's handling, so confirm with the health center with jurisdiction.

Q. Can I make my home kitchen the prep site?
A. In most cases it is not recognised, because it uses household equipment and does not meet the partitioning, hand-washing, and equipment standards required for business use (the guidance of each municipality, accessed 2026-11-01). One method is to use a licensed rental kitchen (shared kitchen) as the prep site. Whether you can remodel part of your home for business use and obtain a permit should be discussed individually with the health center.

Q. Can I operate in a neighbouring city or prefecture on the same permit?
A. Within the same prefecture, the practice is spreading that you may operate on one permit even across the areas of multiple health centers (e.g., in Ibaraki Prefecture a permit obtained on or after January 2024 is valid throughout the prefecture, accessed 2026-11-01). If you operate in a different prefecture, you obtain a permit in each prefecture as a rule. Because the handling of the area you attend differs by municipality, confirm in advance.

Q. Does an administrative scrivener also judge the vehicle equipment and hygiene?
A. We do not. The judgement of whether the facility meets the standards and the on-site inspection are done by the health center, and the vehicle structure and hygiene equipment are handled by the manufacturer or modifier. Our office (administrative scrivener) assists within the scope of preparing and submitting the documents to apply for the food business permit to the health center. The property is contracted separately with Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd., and disputes with a lawyer, each as an independent business. Our office receives no referral fee.

Sources (Primary Information)

• e-Gov Law Search, "Food Sanitation Act," Article 55 (business permit), Article 54 (the facility standards for businesses with a marked effect on public health are set by the prefecture's ordinance), and Article 51 (the standards for measures to be taken by the business operator, including hygiene management in line with HACCP, and the duty to comply) (the current provisions of the Act fully enforced on 1 June 2021, accessed 2026-11-01)
• e-Gov Law Search, "Enforcement Regulation of the Food Sanitation Act," Article 66-7 and its appended table (the nationwide minimum line for facility standards, on which each prefecture's ordinance is built) (accessed 2026-11-01)
• Ibaraki Prefecture (Hitachi Health Center and others), "About mobile food business (kitchen cars)" (a mobile food business permit is required to sell from an automobile (excluding two-wheeled vehicles) with a facility installed; the range of cooking you may serve by classes of water-tank capacity; prep is done at a facility that has obtained a business permit; a permit obtained on or after January 2024 is valid throughout the prefecture, accessed 2026-11-01)

This article is general information and does not guarantee or judge whether a particular vehicle or prep site meets the facility standards or which category of permit applies. Because the permit categories, facility standards, range of cooking you may serve, and the range in which a permit is valid change with amendments to law and municipal ordinances and practice, always confirm with the latest provisions and the guidance of the health centers and municipalities with jurisdiction over the vehicle's base and the place you attend. The judgement of conformity and the inspection are for the health center; the vehicle structure and modification for the manufacturer; brokerage of the prep site's property for Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. (licensed real estate broker), a separate business; incorporation registration for a judicial scrivener; tax for a tax accountant; and representation in disputes for a lawyer, each as an independent business under separate contracts and procedures. Our office receives no referral fee. Specific legal judgements are made by a qualified professional such as an administrative scrivener after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu, administrative scrivener and licensed real estate broker.