Food trucks and other mobile food vendors operating in Georgetown could see new permitting rules from the city in the near future.
Georgetown City Council discussed several proposed regulatory updates during a council workshop Tuesday. City Planning Director Sofia Nelson said the goal of making updates is to bring consistency and predictability to the permitting process for mobile food vendors.
Council members broached the topic this past summer with several expressing concern that the city’s current permitting process for mobile vendors, which involves temporary-use permits that expire after 90 days, might not be effective in managing the variety of businesses that fit within the mobile-food category.
“I think it’s important that we stay flexible to meet current market demand,” City Manager David Morgan said during Tuesday’s workshop.
Nelson presented staff recommendations that identify several categories of mobile vendors, including those that operate without a permanent location, those that are used temporarily by existing businesses, and those that occupy property where the primary use is to support a mobile vendor.
Staff recommendations include:
- Vendors without permanent locations such as taco trucks or ice cream trucks would not have to apply for permits to operate, although vendors operating on city-owned property would need special-event permits.
- Vendors who stay at a location for less than 24 hours would also not have to apply for permits but would need property owners’ permission to use a particular location for business. Those that want to remain at a location for more than 24 hours would need to apply for a temporary-use permit. Vendors connected to existing businesses would have a 90-day limit on the length of their permits and could have existing permits renewed for up to a year.
- Mobile vendors who are the primary tenants of a property would need to apply for a special-use permit. They would also be required to apply for a full-site development permit, which includes regulations governing landscaping, parking, lighting and utilities. The length of permits for such vendors would be determined through the special-use permitting process.
With primary-tenant mobile vendors, which generally remain in one location for an extended period of time, District 5 Council Member Ty Gipson said the council might want to explore whether the city should enforce aesthetic standards.
“I don’t want to over-regulate, but I do think there are some requirements that we need to look at,” he said.
District 1 Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem Anna Eby said she would like to see the city have the flexibility to make decisions for some vendors on a case-by-case basis.
“I don’t think it necessarily makes sense to establish guidelines that have to apply to everybody,” she said.
Nelson said the city’s special-use permitting process is designed to allow for case-by-case decision-making.
City Council will need to vote on whether to approve changes before new regulations take effect.
