Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Riverside, CA (2026)
3 verified food trucks & mobile vendors rules for Riverside, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Food Truck Permits
Riverside Municipal Code Chapter 5.36 (Regulation of Mobile Food Vendors) regulates all mobile food trucks operating in the city. Operators need a City Mobile Vending Permit, a Riverside business tax certificate (RMC Title 5), and a Riverside County Department of Environmental Health (DEH) Mobile Food Facility permit.
Riverside mobile food vendors need a city permit, business license, and county health permit
Some RestrictionsVending Zones
Riverside Municipal Code Chapter 5.36 restricts where mobile food merchants may make sales: only from the side of the vehicle facing the sidewalk (not facing traffic), no obstruction of the public right-of-way, and no operation in residential zones after sunset.
Riverside restricts food-truck vending zones: roadway side and right-of-way limits
Some RestrictionsSidewalk & Mobile Vending
California SB 946 (Gov. Code §§ 51036-51039) decriminalized sidewalk vending statewide; cities may regulate but not ban outright. Riverside requires a Sidewalk Vending Permit and follows time/place/manner rules consistent with SB 946.
Sidewalk vending in Riverside follows California SB 946 plus the city Sidewalk Vending Permit
Few RestrictionsLooking for Riverside County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Riverside city rules.
Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Riverside County →