What business you are starting?
See this page for more considerations for all food businesses.
Temporary Food Stand
What: A for-profit food business that operates day by day, at community events. More detail from the State of WI.
How: Food is prepared in the stand and sold directly to the customer. No food made at home (ex: salsa) can be sold. Ingredients can be from your own garden or from an approved vendor (ex: pre-packaged cookies).
Important: Leftovers cannot be stored to use again the next day and cannot be sold. No business is conducted apart from a special event (Fond du Lac County Fair, Celebrate Waupun, Farmer’s Market, etc.)
Introductory details: Sample designs, materials, food safety instructions in a printable PDF (1.1MB) (1.1MB)
When: For the duration of the event only. Temporary Food Stands are NOT allowed to be set up apart from community activities. (Ex: Not allowed to set up outside your home on a Saturday. It must be done as part of a special occasion like Walleye Weekend.)
Permit? Yes. The Fond du Lac County Health Department does the permitting for Temporary Food Stands that will operate in the county. The permit is from July 1 – June 30 of the following year. Temporary Food Stand Permit (PDF, 812KB).
What else? They also must be done with permission of the event organizers. For example, selling at a soccer tournament must be done with the permission of the soccer association leaders and also comply with municipal regulations.
Mobile Food Establishment
What: A for-profit business that sells food from a truck, trailer, or push cart. The vehicle is like a restaurant on wheels. The requirements are the same as what a stand alone restaurant also needs. More detail from the State of WI.
How: Food is prepared and served in the unit. Leftovers can be stored for sale again the next day in the unit or in the service base. The service base is space used ONLY for the purpose of food business.
Introductory Details: Overview of state rules regarding water, service base, and equipment on a mobile food establishment (PDF, 706 KB)
Permit? Yes. Two are required in Fond du Lac County: one for the Service Base and one for the unit itself. Both are on this application (PDF, 568KB). The price varies according the menu of food items you will serve. If you plan to operate in multiple counties, you can get a state permit.
What else? Mobile Units must be used only where the municipality allows it.
Specific regulations for Fond du Lac County municipalities are below:
- City of Fond du Lac Mobile Food Vendor Permit Application
- City of Ripon Mobile Food Truck Instructions (Word, 12KB)
- Village of Campbellsport: no ordinance
- City of Waupun: no ordinance
They also must be done with permission of the event organizers. For example, selling at a soccer tournament must be done with the permission of the soccer association leaders and also comply with municipal regulations.
Restaurant
What: Anyone preparing, serving, and selling meals to the public. More detail from the State of WI.
How: Cooking, storing, serving food in a building.
Permit? Yes, you’ll need the Fond du Lac County application.
What else?
- Are you remodeling a space? If so, you may need to check with your municipality’s building inspector’s office. Fond du Lac County municipal offices are linked below.
- Do you want to serve alcohol? If so, check on the requirements for your municipality.
