Fountain, CO Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- City business license + annual mobile food vending permit
- Liability insurance
- $500,000 per vehicle/pushcart, city as additional insured
- State requirements
- CO retail food license + CDPHE food service permit
- Permit fee
- Set by council resolution, not fixed in code
- First-violation fine
- Up to $150.00 (§ 5.17.070)
Summary
Every mobile food pushcart or truck operating in Fountain needs a city business license plus an annual mobile food vending permit under Fountain Municipal Code § 5.17.040, along with a Colorado retail food license, sales tax license, state health permit and $500,000 liability insurance naming the city as additional insured.
A.All mobile food vendors shall obtain and maintain a city business license and a mobile food vending permit for each mobile pushcart or mobile food preparation vehicle in operation. All application for permit renewals shall be filed annually with the city clerk. No person shall operate as a mobile food vendor use without a permit or in violation of the conditions of the permit. ... 4.A Colorado retail food license for a mobile unit.5.A valid sales/use tax license.6.A food service permit from the Colorado Department of Health. ... 10.Proof of a valid insurance policy that provides minimum liability coverage of $500,000.00 per mobile food preparation vehicle and $500,000.00 per mobile pushcart, with the city named as an additional insured.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 3).
Full Breakdown
17, added by Ordinance No. 030). 040 requires 'a city business license and a mobile food vending permit for each mobile pushcart or mobile food preparation vehicle in operation,' renewed annually with the city clerk; operating without a permit, or in violation of its conditions, is unlawful. The application must show a valid driver's license and vehicle registration and insurance, a Colorado retail food license for the mobile unit, a valid state sales/use tax license, a food service permit from the Colorado Department of Health, operation under an approved central kitchen, a product list, and criminal-history disclosures for the applicant and any principal.
Every permit holder must carry liability insurance of at least $500,000 per mobile food preparation vehicle and $500,000 per pushcart, naming the city as additional insured, plus a written indemnity agreement. Permits are nonexclusive, nontransferable, must be displayed at all times on the vehicle, and can be revoked for violating the permit, the municipal code, zoning ordinances, or state or federal law, using the same procedures as revoking a business license. The permit fee itself is set separately by council resolution rather than fixed in the code.
Violations & Fines
Fountain Municipal Code § 5.17.070 fines a first violation of chapter 5.17 up to $150.00, a second violation within a year up to $250.00, and a third or later violation within a year up to $500.00; each is a misdemeanor, each day of an ongoing violation counts as a separate offense, and the city may also suspend or revoke the vendor's permit or business license.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fountain
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