ATLANTA – State Representative Houston Gaines (R-Athens) today announced that the Georgia House of Representatives unanimously passed House Bill 1443 on Tuesday, March 15. Sponsored by Rep. Gaines, HB 1443 would allow food truck owners to operate in multiple counties in the state under one single permit. Currently, food truck operators are required to be permitted in every county they operate in.
“Georgia continues to make great strides to support these small business owners, and this legislation will allow these hardworking individuals to save thousands of dollars in redundant permitting fees and many hours spent with the government,” said Rep. Gaines. “Food trucks are a great way for chefs and entrepreneurs to launch their businesses. Unfortunately, these business owners are unable to expand to other regions of the state without significant cost and regulation. HB 1443 gets rid of that bureaucracy and allows these vendors to spend time honing their craft instead of navigating government red tape.”
House Bill 1443 would allow for a mobile food establishment, such as a food truck, that is permitted in one county to operate in all other counties in the state. To do so, the establishment would be submit a copy of a permit from the county of origin to the outside county of operation. Then, the outside county’s board of health would verify that the permit is in good standing with the Georgia Department of Public Health. A mobile food service establishment would still be required to renew its permit annually in the county of origin. The Georgia Department of Public Health would be authorized to establish rules and regulations regarding mobile food service establishments, including an expedited permit process. Counties would retain the ability to conduct inspections for these operations and the ability to revoke a permit in poor standing.
This legislation has been sent to the Senate for its consideration.
For more information on House Bill 1443, please click here.
Representative Houston Gaines represents the citizens of District 117, which includes portions of Barrow, Clarke, Jackson and Oconee counties. He was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 and currently serves as Chairman of the Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Committee, Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education, and Secretary of the Health & Human Services Committee. He also serves on the Special Committee on Access to the Civil Justice System, Special Committee on Election Integrity and the Code Revision, Insurance, Juvenile Justice and Ways & Means committees.
###