Del City adopts mobile food vendor ordinance with clarifications on enforcement

Del City on Dec. 1 adopted Ordinance No. 1452 to create regulations for mobile food vendors, setting registration requirements, operating standards and enforcement procedures.

The ordinance, first introduced Nov. 17 and approved after discussion, creates Article 6 in Chapter 10 of the Del City code and establishes that vendors must produce state-issued food licenses and obtain a city registration (a $25 city-registration fee was referenced). Development Director Kyle Gandy told the council that the state issues the initial license and that the fire marshal "ultimately has the most authority to enforce any of this" because inspections for safety are managed at the state level; the city’s role is to collect registrations and conduct on-site safety walk-arounds when necessary.

Councilmembers pressed for clearer enforcement language. One member noted that Section 10-96(d) names the police department or city manager as the entities that may order vendors to move on; the council agreed to amend the language to allow the city manager or the manager’s designee to act, avoiding ambiguity about who may enforce registration conditions. Councilors also changed references from 'license' to 'registration' where appropriate to reflect local practice: state "licenses" remain with the vendor and the city issues local "registrations."

Following the discussion and the agreed verbal modifications, the council voted unanimously to adopt Ordinance No. 1452. The city manager and the development department will coordinate with the fire marshal and police on procedures for verifying licenses and responding to observed violations.

The council’s action authorizes the mayor to endorse the ordinance; staff said that routine enforcement will rely on state licensing and targeted safety checks rather than full truck-by-truck inspections by city hall.