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Life Lessons
Building a Food Truck, Together Part Two — The Build
From a Frito's delivery truck to a mobile kitchen one nut and bolt at a time.
Two agencies make the rules for food trucks. The California Department of Modular Building is a state agency. They review and approve construction plans for new or repurposed Mobile Food Facilities. After the plan check, they conduct two inspections — a rough inspection of the electrical wiring, gas piping, water supply, drain plumbing, and any mechanical issues, then the final finish inspection.
I’ve always feared interaction with building inspectors, expecting them to find fault with my work — I did not want to pass this on to Michael, so I vowed to rule the rule-makers
The other agency is the county health department. While the state is concerned with construction standards and building codes, the health department is involved with the sanitary operation of a commercial kitchen and safe food handling. They inspect the food truck and the commissary before an operational permit is issued. Many of the health department rules and procedures have to be built into the truck. So the local health department and the…