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

Any vendor operating a mobile unit that is designed or used for vending food or food products from a fixed or stationary location on private property needs a Food Vendor Permit before selling anything, and a separate permit is required for every site used. The application goes to the Planning Director with the fee set by City Council resolution, a signed statement from the property owner granting use of the site, a scaled site plan showing everything within 50 feet of the mobile unit, a litter collection and disposal plan, and equipment specifications.

Approved sites cannot sit within 300 yards of a school, and the mobile unit must be set back from the street and kept away from trees, hydrants, utility poles, and transformers; any unit with ventilating equipment has to stay 10 feet from buildings unless the Planning Director allows otherwise. absent Planning Director authorization, sound cannot exceed background noise levels, and no signage, lighting, or overnight equipment storage is allowed without separate Planning Director sign-off; overnight storage of food or equipment is limited to a commissary approved by the Alameda County Department of Environmental Health Services.

Vendors must keep a 30-gallon garbage container on site, empty it daily, and police litter within a 100-foot radius of the location. 30(B). A permit is non-transferable and lapses automatically after six months of inactivity at the approved location.