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

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Permit types
Temporary use (<30 days) or administrative use
Single-event cap
1/year residential, 4/year other zones
Liability insurance
$2M per occurrence, $4M aggregate
Auto insurance
$1M commercial auto liability
Vending hours
Barred 10 p.m.-7 a.m., no overnight parking
Non-food retail cap
10% of gross receipts and floor space
Suspension for violation
Up to 30 days, or revocation

Summary

A food truck operating on private property in Clovis needs a food truck permit under Municipal Code Chapter 5.34, either a temporary use permit for events under 30 days or an administrative use permit otherwise. Vendors also need a City business tax certificate and a Fresno County health permit before selling anything.

(a) Permit required. No food truck shall operate on private property without a food truck permit issued to the property owner or a lessee. A food truck permit shall be either a temporary use permit for events less than thirty (30) continuous days or an administrative use permit for all other situations. (b) Single event permits. The City may issue a temporary use permit for events less than thirty (30) continuous days, for a single event. A single event permit may only be issued for exclusively residentially zoned districts once per year. Other zoned areas may have a maximum of four (4) single event permits issued per year. (c) Private events. Food truck permits are not required for food trucks operating for a one-day private event or party located either on the site of the event or in the public right-of-way with no retail sale to the general public and no admission charge to the event.

Full Breakdown

04 requires a food truck permit before operating on private property, issued to the property owner or lessee rather than the truck operator. Events lasting fewer than 30 continuous days qualify for a temporary use permit; longer or recurring operations need an administrative use permit under Title 9, Chapter 62. Single-event temporary permits are capped at one per year in exclusively residential zones and four per year in other zones; a one-day private party with no public retail sale and no admission charge needs no permit at all.

with no overnight parking, and a 200-foot toilet/hand-washing facility within reach during shifts over an hour. 06: no more than 10 minutes in one location within any two-hour period, a 500-foot freeway buffer, no more than two on-street parking spaces occupied in commercial zones, and mandatory liability coverage of at least $2 million per occurrence/$4 million aggregate plus $1 million commercial auto coverage naming the City as additional insured. 05(u)). 03).

Violations & Fines

Violations of Chapter 5.34 or of permit conditions trigger the penalty and enforcement provisions of Title 1, Chapters 2 and 7, and Title 5, Chapters 27-29 (§ 5.34.09(a)). The City may suspend a food truck permit for up to 30 days or revoke it outright for a chapter violation, a State or Federal law violation tied to vending, fraud in the application, or a public health and safety threat, and may confiscate equipment used in the violation. Before suspension, revocation, or confiscation, the City must give written notice and, unless immediate action is needed for public safety, an appeal hearing under Title 5, Chapter 28, Article 2.

Frequently Asked Questions

What permit does a food truck need to operate on private property in Clovis?
Under § 5.34.04, the property owner or lessee must hold a food truck permit: a temporary use permit for events under 30 continuous days, or an administrative use permit for anything longer. A one-day private party with no public sales needs no permit at all.
Can a Clovis food truck park in a residential neighborhood?
Generally no. Section 5.34.05(s) bars food trucks from exclusively residentially zoned districts except for the narrow private-event exemption in § 5.34.04(c) or a single-event permit, which residential zones may receive only once per year.
How much insurance does a Clovis food truck vendor need?
Section 5.34.06(i) requires at least $2 million per occurrence and $4 million aggregate in liability coverage plus $1 million in commercial auto liability coverage, with a certificate naming the City of Clovis as additional insured and certificate holder on file before operating.
How long can a food truck vend in one spot on a Clovis street?
No more than 10 minutes in any one location within a two-hour period, measured within a 500-foot radius, under § 5.34.06(a). The truck must also be legally parked and stay out of clear-vision triangles and no-parking zones.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Clovis

All Clovis rules

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