Coeur d'Alene, ID Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Chapter 5.75 of the Coeur d'Alene Municipal Code, enacted by the Coeur d'Alene City Council, puts every concession under a city permit issued through the city clerk. Section 5.75.030 requires all vendors to hold and display for public view the proper city permit while operating within the city limits, and a current Panhandle health department permit must stay conspicuously displayed on each food or beverage concession. Each individual concession needs its own application and permit. Permits are nontransferable and nonassignable, and unless the permit is endorsed otherwise it is valid for the calendar year and expires on December 31.

Food trucks fall in Class A, mobile food concession, defined in section 5.75.020 as a service establishment offering food or beverages for immediate consumption from a vehicle, a trailer that can be towed by a vehicle, or a unit otherwise capable of being moved under its own power without significant disassembly. Class B is a mobile food cart, designed to be propelled by human power alone. The application is filed with the city clerk on a city form and asks for the vendor's legal name, date of birth, telephone number and address (with partnership or corporation details where that applies), a point of contact if someone else runs the concession day to day, the parcel owner's name and written proof of authorization to operate there, a description of what is sold, Panhandle health district approval if the district's rules require it, and proof of insurance for concessions on public property. Changes to vendor or parcel information must be reported within five (5) business days. Section 5.75.040 adds a valid Idaho seller's permit and a safety inspection by the fire department.

A truck that roams city streets faces added screening: the places of residence for the past five (5) years, a list of convictions involving a controlled substance, minors, violence, theft or robbery, and fingerprints for a criminal history check. Such a conviction within the previous five (5) years blocks the permit.

The clerk grants a permit when the application is complete, the fee is paid, and the chapter's standards are met. A denial, whether of a new permit or a renewal, can be appealed to the city council by a written statement filed with the clerk within ten (10) days. Fees are set by resolution of the city council, and section 5.75.070 assesses an annual inspection fee each January 1.