Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in San Diego, CA (2026)
2 verified food trucks & mobile vendors rules for San Diego, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Food Truck Permits
San Diego food trucks need a Mobile Food Facility permit from San Diego County Department of Environmental Health & Quality ($488–$889/year depending on truck type), a city Business Tax Certificate, and must comply with SDMC §141.0614 mobile food truck regulations. Vending requires written property-owner consent on private lots and is restricted on public streets.
San Diego Mobile Food Facility Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsCal. Health & Safety Code § 114294 et seq. (SB 972, 2022)
Existing law provides for the regulation of microenterprise home kitchen operations and limits those operations to not serving more than 30 individual meals per day and not more than 60 individual meals per week and to no more than $50,000 in verifiable gross annual sales, as adjusted for inflation. Existing law authorizes the local enforcement agency to decrease the limit on the number of indi...
Vending Zones
Sidewalk vending in San Diego requires a Sidewalk Vending Permit per SDMC §36.0110(b). Permits are issued to individuals only; each vendor needs a separate permit. Vending is permitted between 8:00 AM and sunset in parks, plazas, and beach areas where no designated closing time exists. Vending without a valid permit is a municipal code violation. Vendors must comply with all requirements in SDMC Chapter 3, Article 6, Division 1.
San Diego Food Truck Vending Zone Rules
Some RestrictionsCal. Gov. Code § 51036 et seq. (SB 946, Safe Sidewalk Vending Act)
This bill would prohibit a local authority, as defined, from regulating sidewalk vendors, except in accordance with the provisions of the bill. The bill would provide that a local authority is not required to adopt a new program to regulate sidewalk vendors if the local authority has established an existing program that substantially complies with the provisions of the bill. The bill would appl...
Looking for San Diego County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement San Diego city rules.
Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in San Diego County →