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 requires every mobile food truck to carry two documents before selling a single item: a City business tax certificate under RMC § 5.36.050 and a County-issued Environmental Health permit under § 5.36.060, both displayed on the vehicle. Trucks may only operate sunrise-to-sunset in residential areas and sunrise-to-midnight everywhere else.
Riverside Mobile Food Truck Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsCity of Riverside, CA, Municipal Code §§ 5.36.050, 5.36.060, 5.36.065 (Mobile Food Vendors)
5.36.050 - Business Tax Certificate required. No person shall engage in mobile food vending or operate a vending vehicle within the corporate limits of the City of Riverside without first having procured a business tax certificate from the City of Riverside as stated in Chapter 5.04 of this Code. ... 5.36.060 - Environmental Health Permit required. All vending vehicles from which foodstuffs are...
Vending Zones
Riverside's Municipal Code, Chapter 5.36, spells out exactly where mobile food trucks can and cannot sell. Vending vehicles must be legally curb-parked, stay 100 feet clear of intersections and crosswalks, avoid metered stalls and bike lanes, and clear a 50-foot buffer from driveways. Trucks may run sunrise to sunset in residential areas and sunrise to midnight elsewhere, with both a City business tax certificate and a County health permit required.
Riverside Mobile Food Truck Parking and Vending Zones
Some RestrictionsCity of Riverside, CA, Municipal Code § 5.36.070(B)-(F)
B.Vending vehicles must be brought to a complete stop and be lawfully parked adjacent to the curb consistent with Vehicle Code 22500 and the provisions of Title 10 of this Code prior to initiating vending operations.C.Vending vehicles shall not be left unattended or parked overnight in the public right-of-way.D.Vending vehicles shall not park within 100 feet of intersections, traffic signals, a...
Sidewalk & Mobile Vending
Riverside's sidewalk food vendors -- pushcarts, wagons, and other non-motorized carts -- run under different location and hour limits than motorized food trucks. RMC § 5.38.115 caps operating hours at sunrise-to-sunset in residential areas and sunrise-to-midnight elsewhere, bars fixed-location vending on residential streets unless the vendor keeps moving, and sets buffers around fire hydrants, fire stations, hospitals, and police facilities.
Riverside Sidewalk Food Vendor Hours and Location Limits
Some RestrictionsCity of Riverside, CA, Municipal Code § 5.38.115(A), (B), (E)
A.Hours of operation - Sidewalk vendors shall only operate between the hours of sunrise and sunset in residential only areas, and sunrise to midnight in all other areas.B.No sidewalk vendor shall be located in a fixed location on any residential street, including parkways or sidewalks. Sales may be made on residential streets from sidewalk vendors that continually move from place to place and s...
Looking 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 →