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Victorville staff reports on sidewalk‑vending licensing; county health permits cited as main barrier
Summary
City staff reported that Victorville’s sidewalk‑vending ordinance (Ordinance No. 2449) is in effect but county health permits remain the primary hurdle to licensing, and staff briefed commissioners on enforcement data and outreach.
City staff told the Planning Commission on April 9 that enforcement and licensing under Victorville Ordinance No. 2449 — adopted in March 2024 and effective April 4, 2024 — is active, but county health‑department permitting remains the largest barrier for vendors seeking city business licenses.
Staff said the ordinance implements state law changes following California Senate Bill 946 (2018) and Senate Bill 972 (2022) and that the city has tracked code enforcement cases and business licenses since the ordinance took effect. According to the staff report, the city issued approximately 35 sidewalk/street/event vendor business licenses in 2024 and has issued nine so far in 2025. Staff also reported code enforcement actions for mobile vendors were comparable to 2023 and are trending higher in early 2025. Staff noted that the way code enforcement counts cases (each contact creates a new case) contributes to the case totals.
Planning Department staff told commissioners that the business license division generally refrains from accepting city license applications until applicants have obtained or at least initiated the San Bernardino County health permit process. Staff said the county health costs and requirements can be substantially higher than city fees and that the city lacks a mechanism to refund city application fees if a vendor fails to secure a county health permit.
Staff said the city maintains a web page with licensing requirements and bilingual (English/Spanish) materials and has taken a larger role in outreach events co‑hosted by the county. Staff identified several approved vending locations, noted two downtown food‑truck hubs (one of which has ceased operations) and said engineering has identified street locations such as Outer Seventh Street and Cantina Road where sufficient roadway width exists for vendors to operate while maintaining pedestrian access.
Commissioners asked staff for additional data. The commission gave a verbal consensus for two follow‑ups: (1) an annual vendor‑case update to return in 12 months; and (2) hotel‑occupancy data to be included at the next meeting to help assess whether hotel approvals are producing the intended use. Staff agreed to prepare both items.
No formal vote was required; the commission received the report and placed the follow‑ups on the work plan.
