Bozeman, MT Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Mobile food trucks, carts and trailers fall under Bozeman Municipal Code chapter 28, article 3. Section 28.03.040 makes it unlawful to operate a mobile vending unit in the city without first obtaining a mobile vending license, and a separate license is required for each unit. Chapter 12 business licensing also applies unless the article says otherwise. The city can issue one of two license types: mobile vending in all lawful locations throughout the city including the boundaries of the downtown business improvement district, or in all lawful locations excluding that district.

The application, including a signage plan, goes to the department of community development, whose director is the city's director of community development under section 28.03.030. Before a license issues, the city fire marshal and, for a food vendor, the health department must complete all required inspections. A vendor serving food must present an approved health department license before the city license is issued. Proof of commercial general liability insurance must accompany the application. Fees are set by resolution of the city commission. Under chapter 12 the license is valid for one year from the month it is issued.

Some operations are outside the article. Section 28.03.020 excludes vendors who dispense food and non-alcoholic beverages from units that move place to place and stay stationary in the same location for no more than 15 minutes at a time, such as ice cream trucks. It also excludes mobile caterers delivering on prearranged schedules to residential, business and industrial establishments, and caterers hired for private events who park entirely on private property, serve only the event's guests and take no payment for individual orders. A transient merchant or itinerant vendor under section 12.01.010 is not a mobile vendor.

Section 28.03.070 requires the license to be displayed visibly at all times and available for inspection. Losing a required state or county permit revokes the city license.