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

Gilroy City Code Section 16A.14 lays out the application procedure for a mobile vending permit, required under Section 16A.13 for any portable container, pushcart, stand, vehicle or wagon used to sell food, goods or services outside the city's prohibited commercial zones. The application must be on a form provided by the chief of police, signed by the applicant, accompanied by a city-council-set application fee, and must list the names and addresses of everyone who will occupy or use the facility under the permit. Applicants must also submit a certificate of insurance naming the insurer, policy terms and principal amounts, not less than a combined single limit set annually by the city council, covering public liability, bodily injury and property damage from the permitted activity; the policy must be amendable only on 30 days' advance notice to the city and must name the city as an additional insured. The chief of police may require further information as well.

The chief of police grants the permit based on the application, public records and staff recommendations, if satisfied the operation complies with Chapter 16A and would not create undue traffic safety, litter, parking or other health and safety problems. That discretion cuts both ways: the chief may suspend, modify or revoke an already-issued mobile vending permit at any time upon finding a violation of its terms or of other applicable laws or regulations, without waiting for a separate court proceeding. An identity permit under Article I is also required alongside the mobile vending permit itself.