Jonesboro, AR Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Sec. 117-258 governs commercial trailers and vending stands, defined broadly to include any transportable structure not permanently attached to the ground used short-term for commercial activity, including the sale of food, plus vending carts and tables. Subsection (c) lays out the general permitting path: a building permit must be obtained before locating the trailer, and the trailer must either be permanently attached to a foundation or have wheels fully skirted; only one commercial trailer is allowed per parcel unless the section says otherwise. The permit application must include a site plan showing the parcel's boundaries, existing buildings and dimensions, parking areas and space counts, and the trailer's proposed location.

Where the products sold fall under state health jurisdiction, a state health district approval letter must accompany the application, and the unit cannot begin operating until the building department issues a final occupancy certificate. Operators must also provide at least three parking spaces beyond what existing buildings on the parcel already require, meet the zoning district's setback standards, and pass an inspection by the city electrical inspector for the safety of outside electrical connections. The trailer cannot sit in a public right-of-way except as the section separately allows, and it cannot be placed anywhere that would be unsafe for occupants, customers or passing traffic.