Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Monterey, CA (2026)
3 verified food trucks & mobile vendors rules for Monterey, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Food Truck Permits
Monterey requires every mobile food vending vehicle to hold a City vendor permit, a business license and (where applicable) a Monterey County Health Department permit before operating, per §§ 20-74.2 and 20-74. Each vehicle needs its own permit, valid one year, prominently displayed while vending.
Monterey Mobile Food Vendor Permits
Significant RestrictionsMonterey City Code § 20-74.2
c.No person shall maintain, manage or operate any mobile food vending vehicle within the City unless that person first obtains a vendor permit from the City and unless that person first complies with all other provisions of Section 20-74 et seq. ... 1.A separate vendor permit shall be obtained by each vendor and for each separate mobile food vending vehicle, even when conducted under the same o...
Vending Zones
Monterey mobile food vendors may operate 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., never from a City-owned parking lot or garage, never from the Lighthouse Avenue right-of-way, and never in yellow loading or white passenger zones. Long-term vending is confined to a short, named list of streets, per § 20-74.3.
Monterey Mobile Food Vending Locations
Significant RestrictionsMonterey City Code § 20-74.3
b.Permitted hours of operation are from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. c.No mobile food vending vehicle shall operate in any City-owned parking lot or garage. d.No mobile food vending vehicle shall operate from the right-of-way on Lighthouse Avenue within the limits of the City of Monterey. e.No mobile food vending vehicle shall operate in yellow commercial loading/unloading zones or white passenger zo...
Sidewalk & Mobile Vending
Monterey requires a City-issued sidewalk vending permit before anyone sells food or merchandise from a cart, table or similar nonmotorized conveyance on a public sidewalk. The Community Development Director reviews applications within 30 days, and the code lays out detailed location buffers, hours and equipment limits under Chapter 32, Article 1.
Monterey Sidewalk Vending Permit Rules
Significant RestrictionsMonterey City Code § 32-3.02; § 32-3.08(a)(5)(A)
No person shall conduct or engage in sidewalk vending within the City without first obtaining a sidewalk vending permit pursuant to this chapter. ... Stationary sidewalk vending shall not be located: ... Within 500 feet of: ... The property line of any school while children are going to or from the school, during a recess period, or within 20 minutes before or after the school's opening or clos...
Looking for Monterey County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Monterey city rules.
Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Monterey County →