El Dorado County, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Zoning permit
- Administrative Permit, Sec. 130.40.220(C)
- Health permit
- Required before business license, Sec. 5.12.010
- Hours
- Daylight only unless Temporary Use Permit
- Duration
- Max 3 consecutive days per site
- Annual cap
- 3 events per calendar year per site
- Unpermitted stands
- Prohibited outright under 130.40.220(H)
Summary
El Dorado County treats mobile food vendors as Temporary Outdoor Retail Sales under Section 130.40.220(C): an Administrative Permit is required, plus a County Health Department permit under Section 5.12.010 before the Tax Collector will issue the business license. Unpermitted "itinerant" food stands are flatly prohibited.
C.Temporary Outdoor Retail Sales. Temporary outdoor retail sales such as farmers' markets, arts and craft fairs, seasonal sales, swap meets/flea markets, sidewalk sales, and mobile food vendors are allowed subject to the issuance of an Administrative Permit (See Section 130.52.010: Administrative Permit, Relief, or Waiver) in Article 5 (Planning Permit Processing) of this Title, unless otherwise specified below... 2.Hours of Operation. The temporary sales area shall be conducted during daylight hours only, with all sales facilities, signs, and any related vehicles removed from the site at the close of daily business... night operations are allowed only when specifically authorized through Temporary Use Permit approval... 6.Duration. Unless otherwise stated... a sales event shall run no more than three consecutive days in the same location, with no more than three such sales events occurring during a calendar year beginning January 1.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13 Update 4).
Full Breakdown
010 unless a more specific subsection applies. 060. 1's off-street schedule (on-site, adjacent with a notarized shared-parking agreement, or road-frontage parking approved by the Department of Transportation), and any surfacing must be dust-free. Signs may go up only one day before the event and must come down at close of business. Absent another subsection's rule, a vending event is capped at three consecutive days in the same location and no more than three such events per calendar year, though a Temporary Use Permit can extend that where parking and restrooms are adequate. 240.
Violations & Fines
Vending without the Administrative Permit or Health Department permit, or running an unauthorized "itinerant" stand barred under Section 130.40.220(H), is a Title 130 zoning violation processed under Chapter 9.02. Section 9.02.050(B) makes the violation a misdemeanor with a fine up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day counted separately; the District Attorney may reduce it to an infraction capped at $500, and the Tax Collector cannot issue a business license without the Health Department permit required by Section 5.12.010.
Frequently Asked Questions
What permit does a food truck need to operate in unincorporated El Dorado County?
How long can a mobile food vendor stay at one spot?
Can a food truck operate after dark?
Is any roadside food stand allowed if I just show up and sell?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in El Dorado County
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