North St. Paul adopts mobile food vendor license to formalize inspections and cross‑jurisdiction checks

North St. Paul City Council voted Feb. 4 to adopt an ordinance creating a city mobile food vendor license that sets a fee for fire‑safety inspections, formalizes annual licensing and encourages cross‑jurisdiction recognition of inspections.

The ordinance, which council members approved unanimously, requires vendors to show they meet Minnesota State Fire Code inspection requirements and establishes a city inspection form the fire department will share with neighboring jurisdictions. City staff said the program is intended to improve public safety and reduce liability while making it easier for vendors who already hold inspections in nearby communities to operate in North St. Paul.

Captain Brent Fixon of the North St. Paul Fire Department told the council the ordinance grew out of several years of informal inspections and wider coordination among Ramsey County and neighboring cities. “If somebody goes to Maplewood and has an inspection done, and they have that form and that's completed and they have a license, if they were to submit that to us, the team would look at that and we would go, ‘Yep. You guys meet the requirement. You don't have to come in here with your food truck for us to look at it,’” Fixon said.

Fixon described the department's focus on equipment that creates elevated fire or explosion risk, including LP gas tanks, auxiliary fuel systems and vehicle‑mounted suppression systems. He said the city and county inspections use a shared checklist and that the city’s inspection will cover tagged suppression systems and fire extinguishers serviced by a licensed technician.

Staff said the proposed city inspection fee is $80. Fixon said the city performed roughly a dozen to 20 vendor inspections last year, mostly connected to the History Cruisers car show, and that the new license would be valid for one year. The council and staff discussed how Ramsey County temporary licenses and Minnesota Department of Agriculture and health permits interface with the city license; staff said the city will accept qualifying county or municipal inspection records to avoid duplicative inspections.

City staff also discussed state limits on how long a vendor may operate at a single temporary location during the year; staff and council members referenced both a 30‑day and a 21‑day limit in different licensing contexts and said they would rely on county or state rules where applicable. Staff told the council their goal is to begin accepting applications April 1 to give vendors time to complete required inspections.

Council member Woods moved to adopt the ordinance; Council member McKenzie seconded. The council voted unanimously in favor. The ordinance passed and staff said paperwork and vendor packets will be made available at city hall and through community development. The fire department and community development staff will coordinate outreach with the History Cruisers and other event organizers.

The ordinance references inspection standards under the Minnesota State Fire Code and staff discussed coordination with Ramsey County and neighboring cities that already perform vendor inspections.