Montgomery councilors, police debate enforcement options as food trucks and parking-lot incidents rise

Council members and the Montgomery Police Department spent more than 30 minutes during a council work session discussing recurring complaints from local businesses about food trucks, tents and large gatherings in private parking lots and what the city can do about public-safety and licensing concerns.

Several council members described repeated complaints from shop owners — including at Eastdale Mall and near a Toys 'R' Us — about food trucks and vendors drawing crowds, producing noise and generating traffic in private parking lots. "I did ask them to do everything that was that was mentioned, put up signs," one council member said, adding that a business owner had asked for assurance that police would respond when vendors refused to leave. The speaker also said a woman had been shot in a parking-lot incident and that some storefronts had been damaged.

Police Chief Bridal told the council private-property law limits the department's options and stressed the importance of cooperation from property owners. "One thing the owners have to do ... is they have to make sure that they're asking people to leave and then when they refuse to leave that they're willing to sign warrants on those individuals so we can take custody of them," Bridal said. He added property owners can designate an agent, such as a property manager, to sign warrants when the owner is unavailable.

Council members pressed on enforcement during late-night hours, asking what the department could do if owners were not present at 11 p.m. or in the early morning. Bridal replied officers can respond to complaints, but prosecution for trespass or other offenses typically requires a representative of the private property willing to press charges or sign complaints.

The council discussed business-license enforcement as a tool: food trucks operating without a city business license may be subject to enforcement when vendors are observed selling on private property without permission. "If they do not have a City of Montgomery business license ... we shouldn't have to have the owner's permission to ask them to leave," one council member argued.

Councilmember Johnson flagged a state-level development that could alter local authority. "House Bill 2844 ... will take effect 07/01/2026. That is going to propose one statewide permit and inspection and a license so food trucks can operate in any public area within the state of Alabama," Johnson said, urging the council to coordinate with the city's state delegation to understand how the measure will affect municipal licensing, tax collection and enforcement.

Council members suggested practical steps for property owners, including posting conspicuous "No Trespassing" signage and empowering representatives to sign warrants, and discussed referrals to city business-license staff and police to check vendor licenses when called. Chief Bridal said a combined approach — signage, owner action to remove trespassers, and police response — provides the most "teeth" for enforcement.

Council members also asked staff to assemble evidence (photos and time details) of recurring vendor activity at specific sites to support enforcement actions. The council did not take a formal vote on any enforcement change during the work session; members discussed options and next steps for staff and property owners to pursue.

The issue will return at a regular council meeting for follow-up and is likely to overlap with broader city discussions about business licensing and state-level changes to mobile vendor permitting.