Permits
Coffee and cart permits in North Carolina
To sell coffee in North Carolina, you work with your county health department for food and mobile vending permits, then add a business license and state tax registration. Pick your county below for the department that handles your area and the steps to open.
100 counties, 3 with a direct health department link on file so far.
Statewide rules in North Carolina
In North Carolina, retail food and mobile food unit permits are issued by county environmental health departments, under the NC Division of Public Health Environmental Health Program.
- Food & vending permits
- NC DPH, Environmental Health Program (permits issued by county environmental health)
- Food safety cards
- At least one Certified Food Protection Manager per establishment through a nationally accredited program.
Official links, last verified July 14, 2026. Requirements vary by city and change over time.
Confirm the current steps and fees before you apply.
Counties in North Carolina
- Guilford CountyDept link
- Mecklenburg CountyDept link
- Wake CountyDept link
- Alamance County
- Alexander County
- Alleghany County
- Anson County
- Ashe County
- Avery County
- Beaufort County
- Bertie County
- Bladen County
- Brunswick County
- Buncombe County
- Burke County
- Cabarrus County
- Caldwell County
- Camden County
- Carteret County
- Caswell County
- Catawba County
- Chatham County
- Cherokee County
- Chowan County
- Clay County
- Cleveland County
- Columbus County
- Craven County
- Cumberland County
- Currituck County
- Dare County
- Davidson County
- Davie County
- Duplin County
- Durham County
- Edgecombe County
- Forsyth County
- Franklin County
- Gaston County
- Gates County
- Graham County
- Granville County
- Greene County
- Halifax County
- Harnett County
- Haywood County
- Henderson County
- Hertford County
- Hoke County
- Hyde County
- Iredell County
- Jackson County
- Johnston County
- Jones County
- Lee County
- Lenoir County
- Lincoln County
- Macon County
- Madison County
- Martin County
- McDowell County
- Mitchell County
- Montgomery County
- Moore County
- Nash County
- New Hanover County
- Northampton County
- Onslow County
- Orange County
- Pamlico County
- Pasquotank County
- Pender County
- Perquimans County
- Person County
- Pitt County
- Polk County
- Randolph County
- Richmond County
- Robeson County
- Rockingham County
- Rowan County
- Rutherford County
- Sampson County
- Scotland County
- Stanly County
- Stokes County
- Surry County
- Swain County
- Transylvania County
- Tyrrell County
- Union County
- Vance County
- Warren County
- Washington County
- Watauga County
- Wayne County
- Wilkes County
- Wilson County
- Yadkin County
- Yancey County
Not sure of your county?
Enter your ZIP and we will point you to the right county health department and the documents you need.
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