Springfield officials preview ordinance to regulate food trucks, set permits, fees and setbacks

City officials reviewed a draft Springfield City ordinance to regulate mobile food vendors, laying out permit rules, hours, setback requirements, fees and enforcement procedures but taking no final vote.

Chris Sigdawi, director of the Department of Public Works, told the General Government Subcommittee that the city lacks a standalone food-truck ordinance and proposes amending Chapter 2.79 (peddling and soliciting) to add a new article for mobile food trucks. "We are going to take all of this documentation and put it into our occupancy manual," Sigdawi said, and routing permitting for both public and private property through DPW while keeping health, fire and police certification requirements in place.

The draft sets different rules for public and private property. Sigdawi said food trucks on public property would continue to be allowed roughly between 7 a.m. and 1 a.m., while vendors on private property would be required to operate within the host business’s hours and would not be permitted to operate after about 11 p.m. on private lots. The ordinance would require site sketches showing parking and circulation, a 10-foot setback from sidewalks where needed, and compliance with zoning setbacks.

On private property the proposal includes an initial cap of two food trucks per parcel; Sigdawi acknowledged the number was a staff choice and said he was "open to changes" based on lot size and council feedback. "I picked 2," he said. Councilors raised safety and access concerns about trucks that occupy multiple parking spaces or block handicapped parking, and asked for requirements such as cones or barricades to protect circulation.

Under the draft fee structure, public-property permits are currently $225 for three months with a $150 renewal; the proposed private-property permit would be $450 for six months with a $150 renewal. Sigdawi said the city would require that the permit be posted at the location or in the vehicle so inspectors or officers can confirm compliance. Enforcement would involve DPW, health and human services, code enforcement, police and fire; Sigdawi said fines tied to food-truck violations would be $100 per incident, with fines levied against the vendor for public-property violations and against the property owner for private-property violations.

The draft adds an appeals process and preservation of one-day event permits for short-term or occasional operations. Sigdawi also said staff plan outreach in the winter—flyers and guidance—so vendors can secure necessary certifications and permits before spring. The draft would also preserve a separate section for transient vendors (hawkers, carts and similar moving sellers) and staff indicated they will expand hawker-and-peddler language to address Italian-ice carts and other transient vendors.

No formal motion or vote occurred at the subcommittee meeting; Sigdawi said the item is expected on the City Council agenda next Monday for initial consideration and that staff welcome questions and amendments before a final vote. Councilor Davila said he was chiefly focused on public-safety and quality-of-life impacts for nearby residents when weighing any final limits. The subcommittee adjourned with the ordinance scheduled to return to the council for further discussion.