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Chehalis staff to draft food‑truck ordinance after council raises permitting, placement and enforcement concerns
Summary
Community development staff will draft an ordinance to regulate food trucks in Chehalis following council discussion about gaps in current municipal code, enforcement of health and permitting rules, private‑property operations and possible restrictions near brick‑and‑mortar restaurants and parks.
The Chehalis City Council on March 24 directed staff to craft a citywide food‑truck ordinance after community development staff described growing numbers of mobile vendors and a gap in local code.
Community development staff told the council the city’s code is currently silent on food trucks, which has left staff uncertain about where and how to permit vendors. “The community development department is getting in more and more applications for food trucks in town, and our code’s silent on them,” Celeste said, asking whether the council wanted staff to draft a tailored ordinance. City staff advised the council that, while food trucks must still meet state health and labor requirements, the city can add local permitting, spacing, hours, insurance and location rules and may coordinate with the parks department for events on city property.
Council concerns and direction included: - Permitting and enforcement: staff said vendors operating without a city permit create enforcement and liability issues; staff will design a permitting process that checks health certificates, insurance and local requirements. - Private property vs. city property: staff noted trucks located on private property with hard‑piped utilities (examples cited in the transcript) differ from short‑term on‑street or park operations and may be treated differently in the ordinance. The council asked staff to evaluate that distinction. - Time and place limits: councilmembers suggested limiting how many days a week a food truck can occupy the same public spot and discussed time windows appropriate for afternoon and evening events; exceptions for permitted special events were proposed. - Proximity to brick‑and‑mortar businesses: councilmembers asked whether the ordinance should restrict vending within a set distance of existing restaurants to protect fixed businesses; staff said that is a common option and can be included in a draft.
Next steps: staff will convene outreach with local vendor operators and relevant departments, draft model language (including permitting, insurance, spacing and hours), and return with an ordinance for council review. Staff estimated a summer timeline for a draft ordinance and said they would coordinate with parks and other city departments.
