State law requires change to Richardson’s food truck permitting

A new state law that took effect in September has changed the permitting entity for some mobile food vendors in Richardson.

With House Bill 2878 taking effect, mobile food vendors operating within multiple cities in Dallas County must obtain an annual permit from Dallas County Health and Human Services rather than the city, Richardson Environmental Health Manager Danea Newman said.

The gist

Richardson City Council will need to update its ordinances to reflect changes in the permitting process for mobile food vendors operating in Dallas County, according to Newman’s presentation at a Jan. 22 City Council meeting. Food trucks operating within Collin County will still be required to obtain an annual permit from the city’s health department.

City officials will still perform fire, safety and health inspections on mobile food vendors within Richardson, Newman said. Once the updated ordinance takes effect, the city will still be responsible for permitting the seven mobile food vendors who operate within Collin County, per the presentation.

Newman said the potential financial impact of lost permit fee revenue is less than $2,000 annually.

What’s next?

Council is slated to consider an amendment to city ordinances to reflect the changes in the permitting process for mobile food vendors in Dallas County during its Feb. 12 meeting.