Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Cedar Rapids, IA (2026)
3 verified food trucks & mobile vendors rules for Cedar Rapids, Iowa, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Food Truck Permits
Cedar Rapids Municipal Code § 42A.03 requires every mobile food vendor to file an application, carry at least $1,000,000 in general and product liability insurance, and pay the Council-set license fee before the City Clerk issues a license. Section 42A.07 lets the City cap the number of licenses when public safety or congestion requires it.
Cedar Rapids Mobile Food Vendor License Rules
Significant RestrictionsCedar Rapids Municipal Code § 42A.03; § 42A.07
42A.03 - LICENSE APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS. When a mobile food vendor license is required, the applicant shall submit the following to the Office of the City Clerk: (a)Completed application furnished by the Office of the City Clerk.(b)Each mobile food vendor shall provide proof of general liability insurance, including products liability coverage, in the amount of $1,000,000 or more per occurren...
Vending Zones
Cedar Rapids Municipal Code § 42A.11(b) keeps mobile food vending units and food stands at least 100 feet from an open restaurant's front door between 6:30 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., unless the restaurant waives the buffer in writing. Vending in city parks and golf courses carries its own zone limits under § 42A.12.
Cedar Rapids Food Truck 100-Foot Buffer Rule
Some RestrictionsCedar Rapids Municipal Code § 42A.11(b); § 42A.12(a)-(b)
42A.11 - MOBILE FOOD VENDING IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY. (b)No mobile food vending unit or food stand shall operate in public right-of-way within 100 feet from the entrance of an open restaurant measured as a 100-foot buffer of a point, located at the center of the primary entrance of a restaurant, between 6:30 AM and 10:00 PM. For purposes of this section, a restaurant is open during its opera...
Sidewalk & Mobile Vending
Cedar Rapids Municipal Code § 42A.11(d)-(f) bars food stands and food carts from sidewalk ramps, bans food trucks from sidewalks entirely, and keeps any mobile food vending unit at least 35 feet from an intersection. Section 42A.10(b) separately requires at least six feet of unobstructed sidewalk passage wherever a mobile food vendor sets up.
Cedar Rapids Sidewalk Food Vending Limits
Significant RestrictionsCedar Rapids Municipal Code § 42A.11(d)-(f); § 42A.10(b)
42A.11 - MOBILE FOOD VENDING IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY. (d)Neither food stands nor food carts shall locate within 5 feet of sidewalk ramps.(e)No food truck shall locate upon a sidewalk.(f)No food truck shall vend within 35 feet of an intersection measured from the back of the sidewalk or end of the curb radius or in a travel lane. The food truck must park in a designated parking lane or space....
Looking for Linn County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Cedar Rapids city rules.
Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Linn County →