LAFAYETTE, IN — A state law signed in 2025 affecting how mobile food vendor permits are handled is causing alarm among health officials in Tippecanoe County, who are hoping for changes and clarity before the law takes effect in January.
Tippecanoe County Health Department Administrator Stacie Rees said about 40 mobile food vendors are operating in the county. Under the new state law, which will go into effect on Jan. 1, mobile food vendors will be required to apply for a permit through the Indiana State Board of Health instead of through their local health department.
Currently, Tippecanoe County charges mobile food vendors $150 for an annual permit to operate within the county and $25 for visiting mobile vendors who are established in another county. Under the new law, permits will cost $450 annually while allowing mobile food vendors the ability to operate out of any Indiana county…