A temporary food permit lets you sell food from a booth at a fair, festival or one-off event, for a few days, without a year-round license. Under the FDA Food Code, which most states adopt in some version, a temporary food establishment operates no more than 14 consecutive days at a single event or celebration; past that, or at the same spot every week, it's a regular food establishment. The permit comes from the county or state health department, often applied for a couple of weeks before the event, and the inspector checks the booth on the day: a handwashing station, overhead cover, food kept hot or cold with a thermometer to prove it, and food from an approved source, not your home kitchen unless your state's cottage food rules allow it. Fees run per event in a lot of places, which adds up over a season; some states sell a season or multiple-event license instead. Idaho, the example's state, sets the fees in law: $35 for one day, $45 for two or three, and $80 for four days or more or for several events. In the example below, a Boise fair vendor works out its season. Below are the rules, the booth, Idaho's fees, the example, and a free checklist.
The short version
- A temporary food establishment runs no more than 14 consecutive days at a single event.
- The health department issues the permit; apply before the event.
- The booth needs handwashing, overhead cover, hot and cold holding and a thermometer.
- Food comes from an approved source, prepped in a licensed kitchen unless cottage food rules cover it.
- Fees often run per event; some states sell a multiple-event or season license.
- Idaho: $35 for 1 day, $45 for 2 or 3 days, $80 for 4 days or more or several events.
- Add the event's own vendor fee, insurance and sales tax.
- TaroStack keeps what goes out to each event and what comes back. More below.
The rules
| Rule | What it says |
|---|---|
| Temporary food establishment | No more than 14 consecutive days, at a single event or celebration (FDA Food Code 1-201.10) |
| The permit | From the county or state health department, before the event |
| Food source | An approved source; prep in a licensed kitchen, or under cottage food rules where they allow it |
| The person in charge | Shows food safety knowledge; some states ask for a certificate |
| Every week at the same market | Often a regular license, or the market's own rules |
FDA's model code is on its Food Code 2022 page. Every state, county and city differs; this is general information, not legal advice.
The booth
| What the inspector checks | Why |
|---|---|
| A handwashing station: warm water, soap, paper towels, a catch bucket | Hands before food |
| Overhead cover and a floor or ground cover | Dust and rain |
| Hot holding at 135°F or above, cold at 41°F or below | Time and temperature |
| A probe thermometer | To prove it |
| Food covered, off the ground, behind a barrier | The crowd |
| Sanitizer for wiping and utensils | Between tasks |
How the temperatures are kept on record is in temperature log template, and the cost of a stall in cost to sell at a farmers market.
Idaho's fees
| License | Idaho Code 39-1607, from January 1, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Temporary, 1 day | $35 |
| Temporary, 2 or 3 days | $45 |
| Temporary, 4 days or more, or several events | $80 |
| Mobile food establishment with a commissary, for comparison | $100 a year |
The fees are in 39-1607, and Idaho runs its food code through IDAPA 16.02.19. Idaho's short exam for temporary booths is in Idaho food handlers permit.
An example: a Boise fair vendor
Snake River Finger Steaks, a made-up event vendor in Boise, Idaho, I use in these examples, sells finger steaks, fries and huckleberry lemonade at six events a summer:
| Event | Days | Licensed one at a time |
|---|---|---|
| A spring festival | 1 | $35 |
| Two Saturday street fairs | 1 each | $70 |
| A 3-day music festival | 3 | $45 |
| A 3-day balloon festival | 3 | $45 |
| The county fair | 10 | $80 |
| Total, one at a time | $275 | |
| One license for several events | $80 |
The owner asked the health district which events one $80 license would cover before paying for any; the difference pays for a season of propane. The rest of the list:
| Layer | Status |
|---|---|
| Business name, an LLC | Done, April 2025 |
| Seller's permit | Done, April 2025 |
| Temporary food establishment license | $80, May 2026, for the season's events |
| Prep kitchen | Steak cut and breaded in a rented commercial kitchen the morning of each event |
| Person in charge | Idaho's temporary booth exam, April 2026, valid to December 31, 2026 |
| Booth setup | Handwashing station, canopy, fryer, cold well at 41°F, thermometer |
| General liability insurance | Renews April 1, 2027 |
What moving to a cart or truck would mean is in food truck license.
Get the checklist
Download the temporary food permit checklist. One sheet: each layer, who issues it, what it is, whether you need it, the cost, the date done and the renewal date; the status and the total cost fill in. It's an ordinary Excel file with no macros, and it works in Google Sheets, LibreOffice and Numbers.
Where this stops working
Six events, each with its own load of steak, batter, oil and cups, and the leftovers coming back to the kitchen: the permit covers the season, but a checklist doesn't say what to bring to the county fair.
How TaroStack does it
TaroStack keeps what goes out to each event and what comes back.
Each event a sales order. An event is a sales order for its date, with what you expect to sell, so the order shows what to load, checked against stock.
Prep as batches. The breaded steak is a batch from a recipe, taking the beef and flour off stock by lot, so a supplier's recall leads to the events that used them.
What comes back. Food thrown out is written off with its reason and cost, so each event's waste shows up.
| The job | Notebook | In TaroStack |
|---|---|---|
| What to load for the fair | A guess | The event's sales order, against stock |
| Which beef went to which event | Not recorded | The lot on its batch |
| What each event wasted | A feeling | Write-offs with reasons |
Sales orders, batches, lots and write-offs are on every plan, from $49 a month. The first 30 days are free, with no credit card. If you'd like a hand setting up, ask, and we'll do it with you.