Temporary Food Service Establishment Permit
You need a permit to prepare and serve food at a temporary special event. This includes preparing and serving food from vending booths, stands, kiosks, vehicles or carts at special events. Review the following to determine if you need a Temporary Food Service Establishment permit (TFSE) and to learn how to obtain one.
Special events include events held on Department of Parks and Recreation property, as well as events held on public or private property. Examples of special events include street fairs, flea markets, carnivals, circuses, public exhibitions, advertising campaigns, business promotions, religious or fraternal organization functions, or transitory gatherings.
If you have either of these permits, issued by the NYC Health Department, you may use them to prepare and serve food at a special event:
- Food Service Establishment (restaurant) permit: A copy of the restaurant permit must be kept onsite at the temporary event and available upon inspection. A supervisor or someone who holds a food protection certificate must be present while operating at the event.
- Mobile Food Vending Permit: The mobile food vending unit must be operated by a licensed mobile food vendor. The location of the event must be within the area where that unit can legally operate.
If you don't have either of the above permits, then you must obtain a TFSE permit.
A TFSE permit can only be used at an event that meets one or more of the following criteria:
- A single event with a one-time continuous duration of 14 days or less
- Recurring events that do not exceed 3 total days per week at the same location
- Multiple events at different locations occurring in the same week that do not occur at the same location, day or time, and which do not exceed three days in a given week.
The permit fee is $70.00. if you will manufacture a frozen dessert, you must obtain an additional permit to manufacture a frozen dessert.
You must apply for a new TFSE permit each year once your permit expires. It is not a renewable permit.
Review the application and requirements to apply for a temporary food service establishment permit.
Requirements Checklist for a New Temporary Food Service Establishment
Review and complete the application. Refer to the Requirements Checklist for basic documentation needed to apply for this permit.
All applicants must read and understand the Rules and Guidelines for operating a Temporary Food Service Establishment.
Sponsors of special events where food or beverages will be served should read about the guidelines and requirements to ensure the safety of food served by vendors and they are operating in compliance with city rules.
If your food establishment will manufacture and serve frozen desserts, you must obtain an additional permit to do so. You will need to submit a separate application form and payment for this permit.
All outstanding fines imposed for Health Code Violations must be paid before you can apply for or renew a permit issued by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Fines may be paid in person at the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Citywide Licensing Center or Online.
All Temporary Food Service Establishment facilities must have a supervising manager who has passed a NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Food Protection Course on site at all times. The supervisor's Food Protection Certificate is required to be on site at the time of an event. Certain non-DOHMH food protection certifications may be acceptable. Contact the Bureau of Food Safety and Community Sanitation to find out if your certification is acceptable.
List of Permit Fees.
- $70 for an annual permit. Permit is valid for one year from the end of the month in which it is issued.
- $114: Fee for Food Protection Course. This must be submitted separate from the payment for the permit application(s).
- $25: Fee for additional permit to manufacture frozen desserts.
List of accepted payment methods. A non-refundable 2% service fee is added if you are paying by credit or debit card.
- Personal Check (made payable to the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene)
- Certified Check (made payable to the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene)
- Check (Government Check made payable to the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene)
- Money Order (made payable to the New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene)
- American Express
- Discover
- MasterCard
If someone other than the business owner will be submitting the application, a completed Power of Attorney / Authority to Act form is required. The person submitting the application on behalf of the business owner must also show a form of acceptable photo identification.
Operators of temporary food service establishments must operate according to the rules specified by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
You may submit an application online.
In-Person Licensing and Collections Services Available By Appointment Only.
DCWP is accepting in-person visits from customers with appointments only at their Manhattan and Queens locations. You must schedule an appointment to meet with a DCWP representative. For health and safety reasons, DCWP cannot serve walk-ins. View flyer to learn how to schedule an appointment in English.
To see the flyer in 11 other languages, please go to In-person Application Information.