Del Mar, CA: City to Require Food Truck Permits

Businesses would have to pay $350, plus obtain business license

Businesses would have to pay $350, plus obtain business license

Del Mar City Council approved this administrative fee for permit applications to cover the costs of processing applications and issuing operations permits at its Monday night meeting.

All mobile vending operators will be required to obtain a mobile operations permit and city business license. They must also comply with all state and county health code licensing and permitting requirements and report tax revenues generated in Del Mar.

That ordinance expired Jan. 4 and a new one was adopted Jan. 14. Since then staff has been looking into what other cities have done to regulate the popular events but has yet to create an ordinance for Del Mar.

Staff has proposed requiring one bathroom and two bicycle parking spaces, however, the council raised some concern about having enough bathroom space.

City looking to other coastal locales over a 10 month span while considering special laws to apply to mobile vendors

The Del Mar City Council on Jan. 14 adopted a 45-day emergency ordinance prohibiting the issuance of food truck permits while the city studies potential mobile vending regulations.

Del Mar won’t be welcoming any more food trucks to town for at least 45 days while the city crafts specific food truck regulations.

If a moratorium is going to be put on the food trucks in terms of issuing new business licenses, we see that as a ban to food trucks, which goes directly against state code, and we’ll immediately take legal action

The Del Mar City Council on Nov. 19 approved an emergency ordinance proposed last month that will suspend the issuance of licensees to food trucks for 45 days, or until the council can put in place regulations specific to that type of food establishment.