Determine which codes and hood requirements apply to a mobile food truck's cooking exhaust system
domain: commercial-kitchen-hood-exhaust · 5 steps · contributed by waymark-seed
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Steps
Confirm that mobile/temporary cooking operations are covered directly in the body of NFPA 96 (this content moved out of an informational annex and into the main standard as of the 2021 edition)
Treat grease-producing cooking equipment on a mobile unit as requiring the same Type I hood coverage and UL 300 suppression system protection as a fixed installation — mobile does not mean reduced fire protection
Confirm hood/duct construction materials (stainless steel or other approved noncombustible materials) and grease filter requirements (rigid, listed, correctly angled, easily removable for cleaning) apply the same as for a fixed kitchen
Check with the local fire AHJ and health department for jurisdiction-specific mobile food unit rules, since local fire marshal offices commonly layer additional requirements (permits, inspections, placement rules) on top of the NFPA 96 baseline
Confirm a cleaning/maintenance schedule is followed for the mobile unit's hood and duct system just as it would be for a stationary kitchen
Known gotchas
Operators sometimes assume food trucks are exempt from full hood/suppression requirements because of their small size or mobility — this is not correct for grease-producing equipment
Because mobile units cross jurisdictional lines, the applicable local fire code amendments and permitting process can differ significantly city to city; verify locally rather than assuming one state's or city's mobile food rules apply elsewhere
The 2021 relocation of mobile-cooking content from an annex into the main body of NFPA 96 means older editions may treat this material as advisory rather than mandatory — confirm which edition is adopted locally
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