Findlay City Council adopts new mobile food unit rules; downtown limits, event permits required on public property

Findlay City Council on Jan. 7 adopted Ordinance 2024-146, a revised mobile food unit law that sets annual licensing and safety checks for food trucks and restricts their use of public parking or parks to approved special events.

The ordinance, moved by Councilmember Russell and seconded by Councilmember DeArmond, passed after council discussion and one recorded no vote. Councilmembers approved the ordinance following staff remarks and questions about where food trucks may operate and what inspections and permits would be required.

City staff told council the ordinance distinguishes private property from public property and requires mobile food units to hold an annual city license and to meet health, fire and propane inspection criteria and be in good standing with income-tax registration. The ordinance identifies a downtown area “essentially from Lima Street to Center Street and then east and west” for special consideration, and it requires any mobile food unit using public parking spaces, a park, or other public property to be part of a special-event permit reviewed by the mayor’s office.

"We've had a lot of discussions with internal stakeholders as well as a lot of feedback from the mobile food unit, food truck industry," a city staff member explained during the council discussion. "Where they're going to be able to work would fall under our current criteria. If it comes to public property, no mobile food truck or unit can come into a parking spot or come into a public park or public parking lot without being part of a special event permit process which would mean that criteria would be established, it would be reviewed and approved through the mayor's office." (Staff member)

Councilmember Frishee asked whether trucks could set up on side streets and in other neighborhoods; staff replied that use of streets or public parking outside downtown would require the special-event permit. Staff said private-property use (for example, a driveway or parking lot where the property owner has given permission) would not require the special-event permit but would still be subject to the annual licensing and safety criteria.

Staff described the licensing package as annual registration that includes health-department assessment, fire inspection and propane inspection and compliance with the city income-tax registration, and said the license will be stickered annually. Council discussed fees and enforcement: staff said the special-event permit fee is $25 and noted an existing $5 fee for peddlers, solicitors and internet merchants that some councilmembers flagged as low and slated for review.

Council members also asked about background checks for food-truck employees; staff said background checks are not required for food trucks because registrants may employ different people on different days and the city relies on the licensing and inspection process instead.

The ordinance amends the city’s codified ordinances addressing peddlers and mobile food units and was adopted after a roll-call vote that included one dissenting vote by Councilmember Niemeyer.

Council recorded the vote with Russell as mover and DeArmond as second; the motion carried with eight ayes and one nay.

The council discussion included a commitment to review permit and fee schedules later in the year. Council also noted that vendors operating outside the city limits would be subject to Hancock Public Health Department licensing requirements for food operations.