Cathedral City proposes 18‑month food‑truck pilot allowing limited private‑property operation with conditions

Cathedral City staff proposed a pilot program to allow mobile food facilities to operate on private property under a temporary, 18‑month uncodified ordinance with conditions intended to protect public safety, neighborhood compatibility and brick‑and‑mortar businesses.

Justin, the city’s code enforcement manager, presented staff’s recommended pilot program. The pilot would permit up to 10 private‑property food‑truck permits during an 18‑month window; each permit would be valid for 12 months. Staff proposed operating hours of 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (exceptions possible by special use permit), a prohibition on parking on unimproved dirt lots, a requirement that trucks have written permission from the property owner, and a requirement that the operator hold a valid Riverside County Department of Environmental Health permit and a Cathedral City business license.

Other recommended conditions included: display of the county health grade on the truck; no exterior storage beyond three parking spaces; prohibition of on‑site alcohol sales; and responsibility for trash removal by the operator (with enforcement available against both the property owner and vendor). Staff said truck operators would need access to an approved restroom and handwashing facility within 200 feet of the truck; councilmembers asked staff to consider tightening that distance to 100–150 feet. Staff also proposed a 750‑foot buffer from permanently established brick‑and‑mortar eating or drinking establishments unless the property owner or the brick‑and‑mortar operator provided written permission or the operator obtained a special use permit. School buffers and limits on proximity to intersections were also discussed as safety considerations.

Councilmembers raised questions about multiple trucks on one site, restroom capacity, temporary portable toilets, insurance and sales‑tax collection. Staff said temporary portable toilets would not be acceptable for standard private‑property permits (they could be authorized under a special use permit for larger events), that insurance language could be added, and that the ordinance would not replace existing public‑right‑of‑way rules in chapter 5.82. Staff also clarified that special‑event SUPs and municipal event permits would continue to operate under existing procedures and need not count against the 10‑permit pilot cap.

Public commenter Erie Knox urged the council to reduce the 750‑foot buffer, saying that a large buffer limits where lower‑cost entrepreneurs can operate and could be “classist.” Staff and several councilmembers suggested using GIS mapping to identify off‑limits zones and said the pilot will help evaluate enforcement impacts and community demand.

Council did not adopt the uncodified ordinance at the study session. Council asked staff to return with clarified language on restroom distance, the 750‑foot buffer, insurance and tax compliance, and to clarify that event and SUP permits are not counted in the 10‑permit pilot cap. Councilmembers discussed limiting the pilot to one truck per location to avoid restroom and traffic impacts and suggested evaluating multi‑truck “food court” concepts separately via planning and land‑use review.

The pilot program is intended to be tested for 18 months and then assessed for a permanent amendment to Chapter 5.82 if warranted.