Harnett County, NC Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Portable food sales fall under the Temporary Uses article of Chapter 153, the same article that also covers roadside stands, seasonal sales, and temporary events. Before selling, an operator needs a temporary land use and zoning permit from the county's Planning Department, and the application must attach a copy of the required permit from the county's Health Department, since the Health Department's own approval period controls if it is shorter than the code's 120-day cap. 114(C)(3) requires proof that enough parking remains for both the existing business and the food unit once the operator's own parking footprint is subtracted.

Tables are allowed only on improved sites that already show adequate parking beyond what the primary use requires, and only if they are permanently or semi-permanently anchored to the ground, not left loose. The section also requires all food and beverages sold from the unit to be ready for consumption on sale, and it bars any eating or drinking inside the food preparation area of the unit itself. Because the permit is temporary, an operator who wants to keep running past the 120-day window in the same 12 months has to reapply and start a new compliance period, or otherwise route through the Health Department's own, potentially shorter, permit term.