Mobile Outdoor Food Service Unit Gas Approval Requirements

Scope 

This directive details Technical Safety BC gas approval requirements for mobile outdoor food service units (MOFSU) with walls on all four sides and a permanent roof; constructed, imported, or operated in British Columbia. 

Excluded from this directive are other outdoor appliances, hot dog carts, and trailers. These must be certified to the appropriate Canadian Recognized Standard by a Standards Council of Canada accredited certification body. 

Definitions 

Approved - acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction. 

Certified - investigated and identified by a designated testing organization as conforming to recognized standards, requirements, or accepted test reports (with respect to any appliance, accessory, component, equipment, or manufacturer’s installation instructions). 

Mobile outdoor food service unit (MOFSU) - a unit used outdoors for preparation and dispensing of food or beverages and that contains appliances or equipment operated by propane in the vapour state. The unit can be equipped with wheels and its own motive power. 

Certification mark - a stamp, mark, seal, label, tag, or other identification of a certification agency certifying that the regulated product to which it is affixed or attached or in which it is embedded meets the standard that the product must meet for that certification. 

Details 

All MOFSU’s must bear one of the following: 

• certification mark from a certification body accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC); 

• approval label from an inspection body accredited by the SCC;

• Technical Safety BC’s Record of Installation Permit (ROIP) decal affixed by a gas safety officer following a physical on-site assessment; or

• Technical Safety BC’s gas approval decal issued under section 10 of the Safety Standards Act.

Note: Accredited certification marks or inspection body decals are acceptable in British Columbia, irrespective of the manufacturing location.  

Permitting Requirements 

Where a MOFSU does not bear a certification mark, inspection body approval label, or Technical Safety BC ROIP decal, an owner may engage a licensed gas contractor to obtain a commercial installation permit to confirm compliance in accordance with applicable code(s) and standard(s).  

A permit application is required for each MOFSU, the permit fee is based on the total BTU/hr input of all appliances contained in the unit, entered as a single appliance. The application must also include a list of all gas appliances and their serial numbers. 

Once work is completed, the gas contractor must contact Technical Safety BC and arrange for a physical on-site assessment by a gas safety officer. Upon confirmation of compliance, an ROIP decal will be affixed to the unit by the regional gas safety officer. 

Modification of a gas system after application of the original ROIP decal requires a new permit to be obtained, the unit to be re-inspected, and a new decal applied. 

Applicable Codes and Standards 

An appliance, accessory, component, or equipment utilized in the gas system of a MOFSU must be certified or approved and installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s certified instructions and applicable code(s) or standard(s).  

A Technical Safety BC gas safety officer or an accredited inspection body may decal a unit constructed to and in compliance with CSA B149.3 Code for the field approval of fuel burning appliances and equipment – Annex J. See appendix A for additional details. 

MOSFU gas systems are not to be constructed to the CSA Z240.4.2 Recreational Vehicle Standard. A recreational vehicle which has been converted and had its vehicle gas system modified is no longer approved and must be approved or certified as detailed above. 

It is the responsibility of the owner or operator to ensure that their MOFSU meets any other regulatory requirements, including electrical, plumbing, fire safety, local health authority regulations, local government bylaws., or licensing requirements. 

Provincial Safety Manager, Gas 

References:  

Safety Standards Act 

CSA B149.3 - Code for the field approval of fuel burning appliances and equipment 

Appendix A 

Ministerial Order M 191 deposited as B.C. Reg. 145/2022 (see www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca) came into force effective October 1, 2022. On this date, certain sections of the Gas Safety Regulation were amended, including the adoption of annex J as normative from CSA’s B149.3 Code for field approval of fuel burning appliances and equipment (mobile outdoor food service equipment).  

Manufacturers or constructors of food trucks/trailers must demonstrate compliance to all requirements detailed under annex J. These requirements refer to the entire gas system of the enclosed truck/trailer, which includes:  

• storage of fuel;

• transmission of gas (piping/tubing);

• installation of appliances;

• burning of gas;

• combustion air; and

• exhaust air.

Mobile food trucks/trailers using gas fired appliances within an enclosed space must have a mechanical exhaust system, The system must be interlocked with the main gas supply line so that gas will only flow once exhaust airflow has been proven. 

Annex J, clause J.7.1 specifies the following requirements from annex B of NFPA 96 for the design and installation of exhaust hood ventilation and fire-extinguishing systems in food trucks or trailers. 

• B.1, General;

• B.3, Duct Contact;

• B.4, Hoods;

• B.5, Grease Removal Devices in Hoods;

• B.6, Exhaust Duct System;

• B.7, Air Movement – 7.1.1 through 7.1.6;

• B.8, Auxiliary Equipment – 8.1 through 8.3;

• B.9, Fire-Extinguishing Equipment;

• B.10, Solid Fuel Cooking Operations;

• B.12, Carbon Monoxide Detectors;

• B.13, Location of Mobile and Temporary Cooking Operations;

• B.14, Tents;

• B.16, Internal Combustion engine Power Sources; and

• B.17, Vehicle-Mounted Generators.

Food trucks or trailers are mobile in nature and not subject to safety oversight provided under the BC Building Code. Applying safety standards such as NFPA 96 - annex B, is typically considered part of professional engineering practice as it demands specialized technical knowledge to ensure the safeguarding of life and property, thereby meeting the criteria for reserved practice.  

Based on these conditions, a stamped engineering report demonstrating compliance to the applicable requirements of NFPA 96 noted above must be made available to the gas safety officer at time of final inspection. The professional engineer stamping the report must be registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC.