Food Truck Equipment Checklist for a New Food Franchise
A food truck equipment checklist for a new food franchise: what health codes require, what to buy on Amazon versus custom-install, and how to size each piece.
By FranchiseFeast EditorialPublished July 11, 2026
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A food truck is a commercial kitchen packed into a vehicle, and the equipment list splits cleanly into two kinds of things: gear you buy off the shelf and drop in, and systems that have to be custom-built, installed, and inspected. Knowing which is which saves you from two expensive mistakes, ordering a part you legally cannot self-install, and assuming a custom system is a simple purchase. This checklist walks the whole build, flags what health codes require, and marks every category as buy-it or build-it.
One honest caveat first: mobile food codes are set locally, by your state, county, and city, so the requirements below are the common, cross-jurisdiction rules from government health sources, not a guarantee for your address. Confirm your final list with your local health department and fire marshal, and against your franchisor’s build specification, before you spend.
The picks below are affiliate links to Amazon, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. FranchiseFeast is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, and as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases through the links below. We compare category specs and requirements, not hands-on tests, and prices change constantly, so you will see the current price on Amazon through each link.
Cooking line: buy the units, but mind the hood
Your cook line is menu-driven, not code-driven, with one big exception: any grease-producing unit triggers the hood requirement below. Countertop and portable commercial units are genuinely off-the-shelf; a fully built-in range welded into the truck is a builder job.
The workhorse flat-top for most food-truck menus
Commercial countertop griddle (NSF)
- Type
- Countertop commercial, electric or gas
- Heat
- Roughly 30,000 to 90,000 BTU for gas; check wattage and voltage for electric
- Certification
- Look for the NSF mark (commercial cooking equipment)
- Code trigger
- As a grease producer, it requires a Type I hood with suppression
A commercial countertop griddle is a legitimate standalone purchase and covers a huge share of truck menus. Honest tradeoff: it is grease-producing, so it commits you to the hood and suppression system, and electric models pull real amperage that has to fit your generator budget. Confirm the NSF listing and the exact power draw before you buy.
Specs: Category guidance from food-truck equipment checklists; NSF-certify the exact unit
For any fried menu item; the other classic grease producer
Commercial countertop deep fryer (NSF)
- Type
- Countertop commercial, propane or electric
- Capacity
- Sized by oil volume (for example, 40 lb) to your volume
- Certification
- Look for the NSF mark
- Code trigger
- Grease producer: requires a Type I hood plus a Class K extinguisher
A standalone commercial fryer is off-the-shelf and sized by oil capacity. Honest tradeoff: frying raises your fire risk, so it pairs with both the hood suppression and a Class K extinguisher, and propane units add to the propane-system load that a professional must install and certify.
Specs: Category guidance; verify NSF listing and fuel type
Refrigeration: commercial grade, below 41 degrees
Temperature control is code-mandated. Government sources require potentially hazardous food held below 41 degrees, a thermometer in each unit, and commercial-grade (not residential) equipment. These are clean off-the-shelf purchases.
Primary cold storage that fits under the prep line
Commercial undercounter refrigerator (NSF)
- Type
- Undercounter commercial; add a prep table for sandwich or salad lines
- Capacity
- Roughly 6 to 12 cubic feet undercounter, sized to your menu
- Temperature
- Must hold below 41F; a thermometer is required in each unit
- Certification
- NSF mark; commercial grade required (residential prohibited)
Undercounter commercial refrigeration is a standard standalone unit and the right footprint for a tight truck. Honest tradeoff: commercial units draw more power than a home fridge, which feeds into your generator sizing, and cheaper units can struggle to hold below 41 in summer heat, which is a code failure, so buy for real-world ambient temperatures.
Specs: Temperature and commercial-grade rules from government mobile-food sources
Ventilation: this one is custom, not a cart
Water system: buy the fixtures, install the plumbing
The sinks and tanks are purchasable; the plumbing that connects them is a certified build task. Remember the 15 percent rule and the separate handwash sink.
Required warewashing sink, sized to your largest pan
NSF 3-compartment sink
- Type
- Stainless steel, three compartments with drainboard
- Sizing
- Basins deep enough to fully immerse your largest utensil or pan
- Certification
- NSF-certified; commonly the single most-required certified item
- Note
- Separate from the handwash sink; cannot be shared
The three-compartment sink is the fixture health inspectors look for first, and the basin itself is a standard NSF purchase. Honest tradeoff: the sink is buyable, but mounting and plumbing it to your fresh and gray tanks with correct drainage is a certified install, not a bolt-on, so budget the labor separately.
Specs: 3-compartment requirement from government mobile-food sources
The separate, dedicated handwashing station code requires
Self-contained handwash sink (NSF)
- Type
- Dedicated handwash basin, often self-contained with its own water
- Requirement
- Must be separate from the warewashing sink
- Hot water
- Food codes commonly require a warm-water handwash (often a 100F minimum); verify your state code
- Certification
- NSF mark
A separate handwash sink is non-negotiable in essentially every jurisdiction, and self-contained units are a clean purchase. Honest tradeoff: it takes dedicated water and drain capacity, adding to your tank math, and the exact hot-water temperature rule is set by your state's adopted food code, so confirm the number locally rather than assuming.
Specs: Handwash-sink requirement from government sources; hot-water temp varies by adopted code
Power: size it before you buy
Not a sanitation item, but a make-or-break one. Multiple sources converge on food trucks running roughly 50 to 150 amps, with inverter generators commonly sized around 7,000 to 12,000 watts and loaded to about 80 percent of capacity for continuous use. Portable units are buyable; hardwiring one into the truck’s panel is an install job.
Onboard power for the cook line, refrigeration, and POS
Portable inverter generator or power station
- Type
- Inverter generator (clean power, quieter) or a large LiFePO4 power station for lighter loads
- Sizing
- Commonly 7,000 to 12,000 W; load to about 80% continuous
- Service
- Many trucks are built around 50-amp service, not 30
- Note
- Some areas are tightening rules on gas generators; check locally
An inverter generator gives clean power for electronics and refrigeration and is a genuine standalone purchase; battery-and-solar stations are a growing option for lighter, quieter auxiliary loads. Honest tradeoff: undersizing is the classic mistake, so add up every appliance's draw first, and a generator wired permanently into your panel with a transfer switch is an electrician's job, not a plug-in.
Specs: Sizing figures are directional, converged across equipment sources; confirm against your load list
Fire safety: buy the extinguishers, book the inspection
The two extinguisher types a food truck is required to carry
Class K and ABC fire extinguishers
- Class K
- For grease and cooking-oil fires (the fryer and griddle risk)
- ABC
- A separate 2A:10BC ABC unit for electrical and general fires
- Requirement
- Both are commonly required, each with a current annual inspection tag
- Mounting
- Vehicle-rated bracket; confirm count and rating with the fire marshal
Portable Class K and ABC extinguishers are standard purchases, and you need both types, not one. Honest tradeoff: buying the extinguisher does not satisfy the rule by itself; it must carry a current annual inspection tag from a certified service, so the purchase is the start, not the end, of compliance.
Specs: Class K plus ABC requirement from a fire-protection industry source
Warming, storage, and smallwares
The last group is the most straightforward to buy: hot-holding and warming equipment, NSF shelving, and prep and POS gear. The service window itself, though, is cut into the truck body and is part of the build, not a cart item (and some states, like California, cap the opening size).
Holds finished food at safe temperature during service
Commercial food warmer or hot-holding cabinet (NSF)
- Type
- Countertop warmer, hot-holding cabinet, or steam table
- Temperature
- Holds hot food at a safe temperature (commonly 140F or above); verify locally
- Certification
- NSF mark
- Footprint
- Sized to a tight truck aisle; check wattage for your generator
Warmers and hot-holding units are standard commercial purchases and keep service moving. Honest tradeoff: they add electrical load, and holding temperature is a food-safety line, so buy a unit that genuinely holds the required temperature under real conditions, not a light-duty buffet warmer.
Specs: Hot-holding temperature is an industry-standard figure; verify your adopted code
Code-expected storage for dry goods and supplies
NSF wire shelving
- Type
- NSF-certified wire shelving; chrome for dry, epoxy-coated for wet or cooler areas
- Certification
- Inspectors look for the NSF mark on shelving
- Capacity
- Typically 250 to 800 lb per shelf; size posts to the truck
- Note
- Adjustable posts help in a tight footprint
NSF-certified shelving is what inspectors expect and is one of the simplest affiliate purchases on this list. Honest tradeoff: chrome finishes corrode in wet or refrigerated areas, so match the finish to the location, and secure shelving for transit so it does not shift on the road.
Specs: NSF-shelving expectation corroborated across industry sources
Point-of-sale hardware and the required thermometer
POS hardware and a food thermometer
- POS hardware
- Tablet, stand, card reader, thermal printer, cash drawer
- Connectivity
- Prefer offline mode or built-in LTE for spotty signal
- Thermometer
- An instant-read food thermometer is commonly required
- Note
- The POS software or processing plan is a subscription, not an Amazon purchase
POS hardware and thermometers are easy standalone buys, and a sun-readable screen with offline mode matters at a curbside truck. Honest tradeoff: the hardware is on Amazon, but the actual point-of-sale software and card processing (Square, Toast, Clover, and the like) is signed up for with the provider directly, so do not expect a turnkey system from one cart. For a deeper hardware guide, see our [POS system guide](/pos-system-coffee-shop-startup/).
Specs: Thermometer requirement from a government source; POS split is an operational note
Propane, the truck, and the rest of the build
A 2026 note, and what no checklist replaces
Two current things worth knowing. Licensing is tightening in places: in Texas, for example, mobile food vendors move to statewide licensing through Texas DSHS starting July 1, 2026, rather than only local permits, so confirm which agency licenses you. And the equipment mix is shifting toward electric and induction cooking paired with battery-and-solar power, partly because some areas are restricting gas and diesel generators; treat that as a trend to check locally, not a settled rule.
No equipment list is a permit. Before you buy a truck’s worth of gear, confirm your exact requirements with your local health department and fire marshal, and match them against your franchisor’s build specification in the FDD, using our guide to food-truck franchises and what it really costs to start. Where the franchisor’s spec and local code differ, the stricter one wins. None of this is legal advice.
Common questions
What equipment does a food truck legally have to have?
The near-universal health-code items, confirmed across government mobile-food guides, are a three-compartment sink for washing utensils plus a separate dedicated handwash sink, a fresh water tank with a waste tank at least 15 percent larger, refrigeration that holds potentially hazardous food below 41 degrees with a thermometer in each unit, and a Type I exhaust hood with fire suppression over any grease-producing cooking. All appliances must be commercial grade, not residential. Exact rules are set by your state, county, and city, so confirm your list with the local health department and fire marshal before you buy.
What food truck equipment can I actually buy on Amazon?
The standalone appliances and fixtures: countertop cooking equipment, undercounter refrigeration, the sink basins themselves, portable generators and power stations, fire extinguishers, food warmers, NSF shelving, and POS hardware. What you cannot buy as a simple product is the custom, installed, and inspected work: the Type I hood and fire-suppression system, the propane system, the plumbing runs, the service window cut into the truck body, and the truck itself. Those need professional installation and code sign-off.
Why does the waste water tank have to be bigger than the fresh water tank?
So you can never take on more clean water than you can legally hold as waste, which prevents dumping. Government health sources are consistent on this: the waste or gray water retention tank must be at least 15 percent larger than the potable water supply tank. There is usually no fixed required size for the fresh tank itself; it just has to be adequate for your menu and hours, and the 15 percent rule follows from whatever size you choose.
Does a food truck franchise tell me what equipment to buy?
Usually yes, in broad strokes. A food-truck franchisor typically sets equipment standards and an approved build specification, but the franchisee carries the responsibility to build to local code. So you are matching two lists: the franchisor's required equipment package and your local health and fire codes. Where they differ, the stricter rule governs. Read the build-out requirements in the FDD and confirm them against your local health department.
Sources
Every figure above traces to one of these sources (last checked July 11, 2026). Franchise numbers change with each FDD filing year; verify against the current FDD.
- Mobile Food Units, Houston Health Department (3-compartment sink, waste tank 15% larger rule, commercial-grade equipment mandate, Texas DSHS 2026 licensing)
- Mobile Food Service, South Dakota Department of Health (handwash sink, 3-compartment sink, waste tank 15% rule, 41F refrigeration, Type I hood requirement)
- Food Truck Equipment Checklist, GoFoodService (equipment-by-equipment specs: BTU, capacity, wattage)
- What Are the Food Truck Range Hood Requirements, HoodMart (Type I hood mandate, grease filters, suppression)
- Fire Suppression Systems Every Food Truck Owner Needs, Impact Fire Services (Class K plus ABC extinguisher requirement, inspection)
- Ultimate Food Truck Equipment List, WebstaurantStore (full category-by-category equipment list)
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