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Lynnwood, WA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Permit required
For every mobile food vendor
Fee schedule
Set in LMC 3.104.090
Site-specific permit
Needed after 90 days/year on one site
Required documents
Business license, health approval, L&I number
Review type
Type 1a under LMC 8.90.0330

Summary

Every mobile food vendor operating in Lynnwood needs a mobile food vendor permit under Lynnwood Municipal Code § 8.35.0335(A)(1), with fees set in LMC 3.104.090. Vendors that stay on one site for more than 90 days in a calendar year need an additional site-specific permit layered on top of the general one.

1. Mobile food vendors are required to obtain a mobile food vendor permit subject to the following exemptions and requirements: ... d. Site-Specific Permit. For mobile food vendors that operate on a site for more than 90 days in a calendar year, a site-specific mobile food vendor permit is required. Mobile food vendors with an approved, active mobile food vendor permit can apply for site-specific permits. ... 4. Permit Fee. Permit fees for mobile food vendors will be in the amounts stated in LMC 3.104.090. The administrator may accept another jurisdiction's fire inspections if determined to be equivalent and may reduce fees appropriately.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3512, passed May 26, 2026).

Full Breakdown

35, Lynnwood's Unified Development Code, and applies to any vendor selling food from a mobile unit rather than a fixed storefront. 30. Everyone else has to apply for the general mobile food vendor permit, which requires a current city of Lynnwood business license or an active application for one, proof of Snohomish County health department approval, and a Washington Department of Labor and Industries license number along with a declaration of whether the vehicle has been altered since its last L&I inspection. A vendor that plans to work the same site for more than 90 days in a calendar year needs to go a step further and apply for a site-specific permit, adding a site plan showing ingress, egress, ADA parking, signage and the applicable zone setbacks, plus a written agreement from the property owner covering both the vendor's use of the site and customer access to restrooms. 090, with the administrator authorized to reduce fees where another jurisdiction's fire inspection is accepted as equivalent.

Violations & Fines

Vending without the required mobile food vendor permit, or operating past the 90-day threshold without the site-specific permit, is a violation of Title 8. Title 8 is not on the civil-infraction list in LMC § 1.40.125(B), so the general misdemeanor penalty in LMC § 1.01.080 applies: up to $1,000 in fines, 90 days in jail, or both, with each day of unpermitted operation a separate offense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do food trucks need a permit to operate in Lynnwood?
Yes. Lynnwood Municipal Code § 8.35.0335(A)(1) requires every mobile food vendor to obtain a mobile food vendor permit, with limited exemptions for things like isolated neighborhood sales, nonprofit fundraisers, and vendors already working a city-approved special event.
What documents does a Lynnwood mobile food vendor permit require?
Applicants need a current city of Lynnwood business license or active application, Snohomish County health department approval, and a Washington Department of Labor and Industries license number, plus a statement on whether the vehicle has been altered since its last L&I inspection.
Does a food truck need a different permit to stay at one spot long-term?
Yes. Once a mobile food vendor operates on the same site for more than 90 days in a calendar year, § 8.35.0335(A)(2)(d) requires a site-specific permit on top of the general permit, including a site plan and the property owner's written agreement.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Lynnwood

All Lynnwood rules

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