Kootenai County, ID Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

14, Supplementary Standards) governs mobile commercial vehicles and temporary commercial structures, the categories that cover a food truck, trailer, or portable food stand. Subsection A makes the use permitted of right in the Commercial, Mining, Light Industrial and Industrial zones, and allows it to be added to an existing commercial use through a conditional use permit, special notice permit, or administrative approval where the underlying zone requires one. 7 landscaping, screening, and parking design standards for a mobile vehicle or temporary structure if an existing commercial, industrial, or mining use is already established on the site, so a food truck parked at an existing business does not have to meet the full site-design standards written for permanent buildings.

Subsection C requires written consent from the agency with jurisdiction before a mobile vendor sets up on public property or in a public right-of-way, meaning a highway district or the county itself must sign off before a truck can operate on a street shoulder or public lot. Subsection D is the core food-safety requirement: any mobile commercial vehicle or temporary commercial structure selling prepared food must have a valid Panhandle Health District permit at all times it is operating, not just at setup. Subsection E draws the line between a true mobile vendor and a fixed one: a mobile commercial vehicle can operate continuously as long as it remains capable of being driven or towed on public roads.

Subsection F caps a temporary commercial structure, one that cannot simply be driven away, at thirty (30) days of use in any ninety (90) day period, after which it must be removed or converted to a permanent, permitted structure.