Chula Vista, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

440, adopted under the authority of California Vehicle Code Section 22455 and the California Retail Food Code, requires every person conducting, managing or operating a mobile food facility to first pay a license tax under the Master Tax Schedule (subsection C) and identify the specific vehicle on the license. Beyond the tax, subsection G requires an annual Vending Permit before offering food or beverages for sale at each City location, with a fee set by the Master Fee Schedule that the City Manager periodically recommends to Council to cover administrative costs.

To obtain and keep that permit, a vendor must maintain, and present on request to police, code enforcement, or other City-designated staff: a Chula Vista business tax certificate for each truck, a valid driver's license for each driver, proof of commercial vehicle insurance, a commissary agreement for cleaning, parking, and restocking (except for unpowered trailers), and a health permit issued by the San Diego County Department of Environmental Health. Separately, an Authorizing Person hosting a vendor on private property must obtain its own annual Hosting Permit (subsection F).

Operating regulations layered on top of the permit include a 25-foot litter pickup radius, mandatory trash and recycling receptacles, downward-directed lighting, and a requirement that the truck operate only on a paved, level surface. 40. A vendor cited for three violations in one year loses eligibility for a new Vending or Hosting Permit for the following year and may reapply only two years after the last violation.