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

Chapel Hill's food truck program is in Town Code Chapter 10, Article IV — Refreshment and Food Trucks (Sec. 10-65 et seq.), originally adopted in 2014 / 2015 and significantly amended in 2023. Key sections / requirements: (1) Sec. 10-67 (Fire Inspection): every Mobile Food Vendor must pass a Town of Chapel Hill Fire Marshal inspection before operating in Town. (2) Permits and fees (current as of the 2023 amendments and the Town's published fee schedule): (a) annual Town regulatory permit — $200 per truck (reduced from $600 in 2023); covers on-site inspections to confirm zoning, health, and safety compliance; (b) one-time $118 zoning compliance fee — required to sell from a given location; (c) $25 annual business license / privilege license; (d) the property owner hosting the truck must obtain a separate $118 zoning compliance permit identifying the host site. (3) Locations: food trucks are limited to private parking lots in downtown Chapel Hill and surrounding commercial districts. In downtown Chapel Hill, only one truck per lot is permitted; restrictions are looser outside the town center. The 2023 amendments expanded operations to include catering services and participation in special events and markets in town. (4) Hours / restaurant buffer: trucks may not operate during the hours that the host business on their lot is open unless the host business waives that rule, and trucks may not sell within 100 feet of a restaurant door without the restaurant's written permission. (5) County health permit: Orange County Health Department / Environmental Health is the issuing county for any commissary located within Orange County and issues the mobile food unit permit under NCGS 130A-247 (Permits required of food and lodging establishments). If the commissary is in another NC county, that county's health department issues the MFU permit; permitting follows the commissary. (6) Town Building and Development Services administers the Town regulatory and zoning compliance permits and publishes the application checklist on the Town's Business and Event Permits page. The 2014 / 2015 fee structure — widely criticized at the time as the most expensive in the Triangle ($600 regulatory + $118 zoning + $50 privilege per truck plus $118 host-site permit) — was reduced to the current structure in 2023.