Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in San Francisco, CA (2026)
3 verified food trucks & mobile vendors rules for San Francisco, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Food Truck Permits
San Francisco requires every mobile food facility to hold a Public Works Department permit, with a $125 filing fee plus a $200 notification fee and $383 inspection fee per vending location.
San Francisco Mobile Food Facility Permit Rules
Some RestrictionsSan Francisco, CA, Public Works Code Sec. 184.83 (Mobile Food Facility Application and Fee Provisions)
Every person desiring a Mobile Food Facility permit pursuant to this Article 5.8 shall file an application with the Director upon a form provided by the Director and shall pay a filing fee of $125, a notification fee of $200, and an inspection fee of $383 for a single Location for the Mobile Food Facility. Each additional Location shall require payment to the Department of a notification fee of...
Vending Zones
San Francisco designates specific vending zones for mobile food facilities through DPW permits. Food trucks must operate in permitted locations and comply with spacing requirements from restaurants and other vendors. The city has streamlined permitting to support street food culture.
San Francisco Food Truck Vending Zone Rules
Some RestrictionsCalifornia Government Code Sec. 51038 (SB 946 — Limits on Local Sidewalk Vendor Vending-Zone Restrictions)
51038. (a) A local authority may adopt a program to regulate sidewalk vendors in compliance with this section. (b) A local authority's sidewalk vending program shall comply with all of the following standards: (1) A local authority shall not require a sidewalk vendor to operate within specific parts of the public right-of-way, except when that restriction is directly related to objective health...
Sidewalk & Mobile Vending
San Francisco requires a Street Vendor Permit from the Department of Public Works for selling merchandise or prepackaged food from temporary structures on sidewalks. Annual permit fee is $484 plus an $11 Board of Appeals surcharge. Vendors must maintain a 6-foot pedestrian path.
San Francisco Street Vendor Permit Requirements
Significant RestrictionsCalifornia Government Code Sec. 51038-51039 (SB 946 — Vendor Permit Authority; Administrative Fines Only)
51038. (c) A local authority may, by ordinance or resolution, adopt additional requirements regulating the time, place, and manner of sidewalk vending if the requirements are directly related to objective health, safety, or welfare concerns, including: (1) Limitations on hours of operation that are not unduly restrictive... (4) Requiring the sidewalk vendor to obtain from the local authority a ...