Are you planning to open a food truck business in the future? After you have developed your concept and menu, you will need to start thinking about spending money to get your mobile food business on the road. To do this, you will need a bank account and a way to protect yourself and your family from the liabilities involved in running a business.

To complete these items on your to-do list, the next step in your culinary adventure must be creating a legal entity. You have a number of options, but the most common in the food truck industry is the limited liability company (LLC). Forming a food truck LLC is not as hard as most people think.

Steps To Forming A Food Truck LLC

  • Choose an available business name that complies with your state’s LLC rules.
  • File formal paperwork, usually called articles of organization, and pay the filing fee.
  • Create an LLC operating agreement, which sets out the rights and responsibilities of the LLC members.
  • Publish a notice of your intent to form an LLC (required in only a few states).
  • Obtain licenses and permits that may be required for your business.

All of the paperwork and procedural steps to start a limited liability company in your state can be done online using a number of different options such as ZenBusiness for $39 + State Fees.

Choosing a Name for Your Food Truck LLC

The name of your LLC must comply with the rules of your state’s LLC division. (Typically, this office is combined with the corporations division within the secretary of state’s office.) While requirements differ from state to state, generally:

  • cannot be the same as the name of another LLC on file with the LLC office
  • must end with an LLC designator, such as “Limited Liability Company” or “Limited Company,” or an abbreviation of one of these phrases (such as “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” or “Ltd. Liability Co.”), and
  • cannot include certain words prohibited by the state, such as Bank, Insurance, Corporation or City (state rules differ on which words are prohibited).

Your state’s LLC office can tell you how to find out whether your proposed name is available for your use. Often, for a small fee, you can reserve your food truck LLC name for a short period of time until you file your articles of organization.

Besides following your state’s LLC naming rules, you must make sure your name won’t violate another company’s trademark.

Check out Trademarking Your Food Truck for information on trademark law and general advice on picking a successful food truck business name.

Once you’ve found a legal and available name, you don’t usually need to register it with your state. When you file your articles of organization, your business name will be automatically registered.

Filing Articles of Organization

After settling on a name, you must prepare and file “articles of organization” with your state’s LLC filing office. While most states use the term “articles of organization” to refer to the basic document required to create a food truck LLC.

Filing Fees

One disadvantage of forming a food truck LLC instead of a partnership or a sole proprietorship is that you’ll have to pay a filing fee when you submit your articles of organization. This can range from $100 – $1,000.

Required Information

Articles of organization are short, simple documents. In fact, you can usually prepare your own in just a few minutes by filling in the blanks and checking the boxes on a form provided by your state’s filing office. Typically, you must provide only your LLC’s name, its address, and sometimes the names of all of the members. Generally, all of the food truck LLC owners may prepare and sign the articles, or they can appoint just one person to do so.

Registered Agent

You will probably also be required to list the name and address of a person (usually one of the food truck LLC members) who will act as your LLC’s “registered agent,” or “agent for service of process.” Your agent is the person designated to receive legal papers in any future lawsuit involving your LLC.

Creating an LLC Operating Agreement

Even though operating agreements need not be filed with the LLC filing office and are rarely required by state law, it is essential that you create one. In a food truck LLC operating agreement, you set out rules for the ownership and operation of the business (much like a partnership agreement or corporate bylaws). A typical operating agreement includes:

  • members’ percentage interests in the business
  • members’ voting power
  • how profits and losses will be allocated
  • how the LLC will be managed
  • rules for holding meetings and taking votes
  • members’ rights and responsibilities
  • “buy-sell” provisions, which determine what happens if a member wants to sell his or her interest, dies, or becomes disabled.

Publication Requirements

In a few states, you must take an additional step to make your company official. You must publish a simple notice in a local newspaper, stating that you intend to form a food truck LLC. You are required to publish the notice several times over a period of weeks and then submit an “affidavit of publication” to the LLC filing office. Your local newspaper should be able to help you with this filing.

Licenses and Permits

After you’ve completed the steps described above, your food truck LLC is official. But before you open your service door for business, you need to obtain the licenses and permits that all new businesses must have to operate. These may include a business license (sometimes also referred to as a “tax registration certificate”), a federal employer identification number, a sellers’ permit, or a zoning permit. Click here to form an LLC for your food truck business with ZenBusiness for $39 + state filing fees. 

Did you form your food truck as an LLC? Share your thoughts on preventive legal management on social media. Facebook | Twitter

Disclaimer:  This article is intended to be a general resource only and is not intended to be nor does it constitute legal advice.