Greenfield adopts ordinance to regulate food trucks, restrict street parking

The Greenfield Common Council adopted Ordinance 1322 on April 21 to regulate food trucks in the city, aiming to require permits and to limit trucks from parking on public streets or near residences.

Under the ordinance, food trucks will be permitted on private commercial property with an annual permit. The rules set limits for where trucks can park on lots (for example, not in drive aisles), require spacing from fire hydrants and fuel pumps, and prevent trucks from operating adjacent to residential properties. Council discussion emphasized safety concerns, including past incidents in which food trucks caught fire near gas pumps, and the need to avoid trucks blocking travel lanes. "The ordinance is not designed to eliminate food trucks. The ordinance is designed to make sure that they just don't pop up on public streets willy‑nilly," a staff presenter said during the debate.

Council members also discussed whether to cap the number of permits; staff noted the current ordinance does not limit the number of food‑truck licenses and that a permit is for the food truck (not only a location), so permitted trucks can operate where the ordinance allows. The council approved the ordinance on a 4–1 vote (Alder person Castner recorded as the lone no). Enforcement will be handled by city staff, with routine health‑department oversight for food safety.

The measure includes an administrative permitting path to avoid using special‑use hearings for each property, and the council noted the ordinance can be amended or repealed if problems arise.