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

Chapter 24, Article III, adopted by Ordinance No. 2014-07A in March 2014 and amended by Ordinance No. 22-36 in October 2022, regulates mobile food trucks and pushcarts selling food or non-alcoholic beverages within the city limits. Section 24-36 defines a "mobile food truck" as a motorized vehicle or pushcart designed to prepare or sell food to the public on a recurring, readily-movable basis, and a "pushcart" as the non-motorized equivalent. Section 24-37 requires a temporary use permit from the planning department under the Unified Development Ordinance before any sale, though the permit is waived for vendors directly associated with city-approved events or events for nonprofit organizations.

Section 24-38 requires vendors to carry one million dollars of combined single-limit bodily injury and property damage auto liability coverage plus one million dollars of general liability coverage including products and completed operations, with a certificate of insurance filed before the permit issues. Section 24-39 requires the tax collector to approve the application, which must include proof of insurance, approval from the Alamance County Health Department, and an annual one hundred dollar application fee per vendor. Section 24-40 lets the city suspend or revoke a permit for fraud, misrepresentation, or operating in a way that creates a public nuisance or a danger to public health, safety or welfare.

Section 24-43 requires the sponsor of a congregate event, such as a neighborhood or business gathering, to obtain a separate special event permit under Chapter 31 before inviting a mobile vendor. Section 24-44 sets a one hundred dollar civil penalty for any violation of the article, enforceable through civil debt collection if unpaid within ten days, alongside the remedies available under G.S. 160A-175.