Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Miramar, FL

If you live in Miramar or are thinking about moving there, food trucks & mobile vendors are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Miramar has 3 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of food trucks & mobile vendors, and some of them might surprise you.

Vending Zones

Miramar bars vending within 1,000 feet of any school during school hours, an hour before or after, or during school functions, unless the police chief gives written permission, under City Code Sec. 13-10. The Land Development Code separately keeps temporary food vending out of developed single-family residential neighborhoods.

Key details: School buffer: 1,000 feet from any school, air-line measurement. Restricted times: School hours plus 1 hour before/after, and functions. Exception: Written permission from the police chief. Residential limit: No TUPs in developed single-family residential areas. Penalty: Up to $500 fine or 60 days jail.

Selling merchandise or food within the 1,000-foot school buffer without the police chief's written permission violates Sec. 13-10 and is punishable under the city's general penalty, Sec. 1-13, with a fine up to $500, up to 60 days imprisonment, or both. A food truck sited in a developed single-family residential area without qualifying as a community garage sale also falls outside LDC Sec. 322.6.1 and can be denied or have its TUP revoked.

Food Truck Permits

Any food truck operating in Miramar needs a temporary use permit before it can set up, because the Land Development Code's Table 8 classifies '"Food Trucks," mobile catering sales by properly licensed and Inspected businesses' as a use requiring one. The department reviews the application administratively, and it must be renewed roughly every 30 days.

Key details: Permit type: Temporary use permit (TUP) required for every food truck. Review level: Reviewed administratively by the department. Renewal: New TUP needed at least every 30 days. Fee exemption: 501(c) nonprofits exempt from TUP fee. Zoning limit: Not permitted in developed single-family residential areas.

Setting up a food truck without an approved TUP violates Sec. 322.1's permit requirement, and the city manager may immediately revoke an existing TUP under Sec. 322.4 if the operation 'becomes a nuisance, violates the conditions of the permit, endangers the public health, aesthetics, or safety, or is in violation of this Code.' Beyond revocation, unpermitted vending is enforceable through the city's general code compliance process.

Sidewalk & Mobile Vending

Miramar allows sidewalk or parking lot sales only for businesses that already hold a city Business Tax Receipt, and only 'within the property of those businesses and not in the right-of-way,' per the Land Development Code's Table 8 to Sec. 322. BTR-holders can renew the permit on a bi-monthly basis.

Key details: Who qualifies: Only businesses holding a current city BTR. Location limit: Sale confined to business's own property, not right-of-way. Renewal cycle: Bi-monthly TUP renewal for BTR-holding businesses. Also required: Valid ZCU (zoning certificate of use) needed too. General fee rule: TUP fee applies unless applicant is a nonprofit.

A business that runs a sidewalk or parking lot sale without a current BTR and ZCU, or that lets the sale extend into the public right-of-way, falls outside footnote 2's protection and is operating without a valid TUP. Sec. 322.4 authorizes the city manager to revoke the permit immediately if the sale becomes a nuisance or violates its conditions, and further sales activity is then unauthorized.

The Bottom Line

Miramar's food trucks & mobile vendors rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Miramar is broadly strict or permissive.

All of the above reflects Miramar's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.