Long story short
Rather than needing a permit from each city or county that food trucks choose to operate in, a single license that permits operations across the state would be administered through the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Bill Gossett, who owns the Chestnut Grove Food Truck Court in Bastrop, told Community Impact he looks forward to HB 2844 taking effect.
“We know that the permitting process has always been a hassle and there’s inconsistencies," he said. “The inconsistencies we see are the regulations with the city of Bastrop and Bastrop County. In Bastrop, food trucks have to be 10 feet apart from each other, but then you go to another place in the county, and food trucks can be right next to each other.”
Gossett is in favor of the 10 feet in distance between one food truck and another in support of the Bastrop Fire Department and what they would have to face if a blaze ever occurred, but he called it “disconcerting” to travel to another location and see one food truck sitting right next to another.
The conditions
Although cities like Bastrop would still retain some local control over where and when food trucks operate, HB 2844 limits cities from enforcing existing measures that conflict with the legislation—a move that has drawn criticism from the Texas Municipal League, of which Bastrop is among the 1,174 members. The nonprofit association provides legislative, legal and educational services.
“House Bill 2844 would significantly undermine local officials’ authority to regulate food trucks in ways that best serve their communities,” Grassroots and Legislative Services Director Monty Wynn said in a letter to state Rep. Ken King on behalf of the Texas Municipal League. “House Bill 2844 imposes one-size-fits-all rules enforced by distant and overburdened state officials at the expense of tailored local regulations that prioritize public health, safety and fair business practices.”
Community Impact reached out to city of Bastrop officials and received no comment as of press time.
Regardless of the implications HB 2844 can have on the Bastrop community, Gossett noted how Chestnut Grove—built where El Ramos Tex-Mex burned down in 2017—has been a success for local food trucks since it was founded in 2023.
“It's really fun having the community there, and then seeing the food trucks come in,” he said. “Some of them are moving on to become brick and mortar, and that's really the life of food trucks. We really feel it is a success if a food truck moves on to something bigger and better. I think that's the kind of incubator that we try to create.”
