Lexington, KY Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Licensing basis
- Per unit, not per operator
- Extra unit fee
- $50.00 flat per additional truck
- Zoning compliance permit term
- Up to 2 years
- Also required
- Itinerant merchant license + health permits
- Violation fine
- $250–$500 per day (Sec. 15-11.6)
Summary
Each food truck operating in Lexington-Fayette needs its own license, the ordinance licenses per unit, not per operator, and running more than one truck costs an extra $50.00 flat fee per additional unit. Vendors also need the underlying itinerant merchant license and any state or local health department permits before serving a single customer.
The licensing of the vendor shall be on a per unit basis, with each different mobile food unit vendor requiring a separate license. A separate license is not required for each location. Unless otherwise exempted, all applications for permits/licenses shall be accompanied with the required fee(s) as specified in the schedule of fees established by ordinance or the director of the division of revenue. Any person operating more than one (1) mobile food unit shall pay an additional fifty dollar ($50.00) fee for each additional unit. This fee will not be prorated and will be in effect for the same period of time as the license for the primary mobile food unit.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 3 sets the licensing structure for mobile food unit vendors, itinerant merchants who run a food establishment that's mobile or on wheels, as defined in Sec. 1. Licensing runs on a per-unit basis: each different mobile food unit requires its own separate license, though a single license covers multiple locations. 00 fee per extra unit, a fee that isn't prorated and runs for the same period as the license on the primary unit. As an alternative pathway, a property owner can apply to the division of planning for a general zoning compliance permit that lets one or more mobile food unit vendors operate regularly on that site for up to two years, provided the site keeps its required off-street parking, allows safe vehicular and pedestrian circulation including fire access, and sits in a zone that permits restaurants as a principal use.
Sec. 4 adds that operators must carry their license or permit at all times and produce it on request, and that vending inside or adjacent to a public park requires a separate permit from the division of parks and recreation, which can cap the number of vendors or operators allowed at a location. None of this replaces the itinerant merchant license or the health department permits a mobile food unit still needs under Sec. 3.
Violations & Fines
Anyone convicted of violating Secs. 15-11.1 through 15-11.5 faces a fine of $250.00 to $500.00, with each day of the violation charged as a separate offense (Sec. 15-11.6). Providing false or omitted information on a mobile food unit license or permit application is separately unlawful under Sec. 15-11.4 and can result in denial, suspension, or revocation of the permit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does each Lexington food truck need its own license?
Can a Lexington food truck park at the same private lot every day without a new permit each time?
What else does a Lexington food truck operator need besides the mobile food unit license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lexington
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