Green Carts

The Health Department will contact you soon after submission of your Green Cart waiting list application to confirm placement on the waiting list. Everyone who meets the requirements will be placed on the list. You may only submit one waiting list application. Do not submit multiple applications. Doing so will delay processing.

Once called from the waiting list, you will receive a permit application by mail.

You will have only 30 days to submit your completed permit application form.

Start preparing now. Use this checklist to begin gathering the documents you will need:

1. Clearance Letter from Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH) that you do not owe fines.
• You must submit a zero balance Invoice Request Response form with your permit application. This is also known as a Clearance Letter. It may take up to four weeks to obtain this letter from OATH.
• To request the letter, email your completed OATH Food Vendor Invoice Search Request Form (PDF) to OATH at vendorinquiry@oath.nyc.gov.
• You will receive an Invoice Request Response form returned to you. If you receive one with a list of outstanding fines that must be paid in full, you must pay and then get an updated Invoice Request Response form which shows you have a zero balance.
• You can also reach the OATH customer service unit at 1-844-OATH-NYC (1-844-628-4692).
2. New York State Certificate of Sales Tax Authority or Sales Tax
• You will need to submit this certificate with your permit application and enter the Certificate ID number on the permit application form.
• If you don’t have one, you can get a new Sales Tax Certificate at New York Business Express or request a replacement card by calling (518) 485-2889.
• The certificate must have been issued within 90 days of when you applied for a Green Cart permit.
3. Workers’ Compensation and Disability Insurance Coverage or Exemption Registration (Form CE-200)
• You must get this insurance if you will have employees. If anyone else will work on your Green Cart, whether you will be there or not, those workers are your employees.
• You will need to provide proof of insurance or a current exemption document and list them on the new permit application form and whenever you renew your permit.
• Submit both proofs of insurance coverage effective when the business begins operation. Include the insurer’s name, policy number, and expiration date.
• List the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as the certificate holder (not the policy holder).
• If you will operate your cart or truck yourself and no one else will work on the vending unit, then you will not have employees. You can submit a Certificate of Attestation of Exemption (Form CE-200) registered with the NYS Workers’ Compensation Board showing the applicant’s registration number and the date registered. For more information and to get this form online, visit New York Business Express.
4. Commissary or Alternative Storage Facility for Your Vending Unit
• You must store and clean your cart or truck at a permitted commissary or alternative facility approved by the Health Department.
• You can find a complete list of commissaries at the Mobile Food Vending Commissary Map.
• You must submit a complete commissary agreement form or application to service at an alternative facility at your pre-permit inspection. For more information and to get forms online, visit Mobile Food Vendors.

Green Carts must operate within a designated police precinct, and follow mobile food vending rules.

• Citywide Green Cart Map (PDF)
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Local law gives priority to U.S. veterans and people with a disability when offering green cart permits. Priority is given in the following order:

1. U.S. veteran with a disability
2. Person with a disability
3. U.S. veteran

If you belong to a priority group, check the box on your waiting list application. When you apply for your green cart permit, you will have to submit proof of priority group status.

Definitions

• U.S. veteran: Any person who was in active service in the armed forces of the United States and has received any military discharge (released from their service) other than a dishonorable discharge.
• Person with a disability: Any person who has or had a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities and has a record of such an impairment.
• A physical impairment is a physiological disorder or condition or anatomical loss that affects one or more of the following body systems: neurological; musculoskeletal; special sense organs; respiratory (including speech organs); cardiovascular; genitourinary, hemic and lymphatic; or skin and endocrine systems. Examples include but are not limited to: orthopedic, visual, speech and hearing impairments; cerebral palsy; muscular dystrophy; and multiple sclerosis.
• A mental impairment includes any mental or psychological disorder such as an intellectual disability, organic brain syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.
• U.S. veteran with a disability: A veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces who is certified by the United States Department of Veteran’s Affairs as having a disability rated at 10% or more (that was incurred during active service in the armed forces of the U.S.).

Required Documentation for Proof of Eligibility

When you apply for your Green Cart permit, you will need to provide proof of eligibility for the category you chose on your waiting list application. If you are unable to show proof at that time, your application will be rejected. These are the documents you will need to establish proof:

• U.S. veteran with a disability: An original letter issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that acknowledges you have a service-related disability.
• Person with a disability:
• An original letter or certificate which clearly describes your physical or mental impairment and includes a notarized signature from:
• A licensed physician, ophthalmologist, optometrist, psychologist, OR
• An authorized representative of a social agency that conducts programs for the disabled in cooperation with a state agency and from which the applicant is receiving services such as, but not limited to, the state office of vocational rehabilitation.
OR
• A certification not more than one year old establishing the physical or mental impairment of the applicant such as, but not limited to, verification of an income tax exemption or social security benefits on the basis of physical or mental impairment.
• U.S. veteran:
• An original statement of service issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, OR
• An original DD214 form issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, OR
• A Type #4 copy of your original DD214 form issued by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ regional office is located at 245 W Houston Street, New York, NY 10014. The regional office’s phone number is 800-827-1000.