Gardena, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- Community Development Director, § 5.04.160
- Max stop time
- 10 minutes per location
- Move distance
- 100 feet minimum between stops
- Summer hours
- Noon to 6:00 p.m., July-August
- Other-month hours
- 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Max penalty
- $1,000 fine and/or 6 months jail
Summary
In the City of Gardena, selling food from a truck, cart or other vehicle on any public street or alley requires a permit from the community development director under Municipal Code Section 5.64.010, plus the city business license. Vendors may not park in one spot more than ten minutes and must move at least one hundred feet between stops, per Section 5.64.020.
Except as provided in subsection B of this section and in Section 5.64.020, no person shall peddle, sell or offer for sale any food, goods, wares or merchandise of any kind or description ... from any ... wagon, cart, pushcart, truck, automobile, carriage or other vehicle standing on any public street or alley in the city. ... Any person peddling or selling, or offering for sale, any food, goods, wares or merchandise of any kind in the public right of way shall first obtain a permit to do so from the community development director in accordance with Section 5.04.160 of this Code. ... No vending from any vehicle shall be permitted for a period of time in excess of ten minutes in any one location and said vehicle must be moved a distance of not less than one-hundred feet between consecutive stops at which vending occurs. ... Any vendor conducting business pursuant to a permit required by this chapter shall be permitted to peddle or sell food, goods, wares or merchandise only during the hours from 12:00 p.m. (noon) to 6:00 p.m. during the months of July and August, and in all other months of a year, during the hours from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Full Breakdown
Gardena Municipal Code Chapter 5.64, Peddlers and Street Vendors, governs mobile food sales from any wagon, cart, pushcart, truck, automobile, carriage or other vehicle standing on a public street or alley. Section 5.64.010 bars selling food, goods or merchandise in the public right-of-way without first obtaining a permit from the community development director, issued in accordance with Section 5.04.160 of the code. Section 5.64.020 layers on operating rules: no vending from a vehicle for more than ten minutes at one location, and the vehicle must relocate at least one hundred feet before the next stop.
Selling hours are limited to noon through 6:00 p.m. during July and August, narrowing to 3:00 p.m. through 6:00 p.m. the rest of the year. Vendors must also display the city business license and permit in plain view, keep a trash receptacle aboard sized for the waste their sales generate, mark both sides of the vehicle with the permit holder's name, address and phone number in letters at least four inches tall, and keep the vehicle free of graffiti. Section 5.64.030 lets the community development director set the location, hours and duration for each permit holder individually.
Vendors must also comply with Gardena's noise limits and the parking rules referenced directly in Section 5.64.020.D. Selling from a bicycle, wagon or other human-powered cart is separately prohibited citywide under Section 5.64.040.
Violations & Fines
Operating without the required permit, exceeding the ten-minute stop limit, or vending outside the seasonal hours violates Chapter 5.64. Under Chapter 1.16's general penalty, any code violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to one thousand dollars, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day of a continuing violation a separate offense; the city may instead issue a civil administrative citation under Chapter 1.20.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gardena
California rules heatmap·Compare Gardena to another location·View the California food trucks & mobile vendors overview
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