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

Milpitas Municipal Code § XIII-C.10.170 lays out separate permit tracks by location. One mobile food vehicle on private property needs a Minor Site Development Permit under § D.4.020; a mobile food park running more than seven consecutive days needs a Minor Conditional Use Permit under § D.4.030; two or more vehicles together for seven days or less need a Special Event Permit under § D.4.120. The same tiers apply in public parks, run by the Recreation and Community Services Department. In the public right-of-way, vending in R1, R2 and R3 zones is limited to approved special events, while R4, commercial, industrial, mixed-use, Metro Specific Plan, and institutional zones allow it once all required City and County permits are issued.

Ice cream trucks are the exception: they need only a City Business License to vend on public rights-of-way or in parks. Section XIII-C.10.170.G spells out the paperwork every operator must carry: a valid mobile food facility permit from the Santa Clara County Department of Environmental Health, displayed on the vehicle at all times; a current City Business License, also displayed at all times; and current, valid vehicle registration on the license plates. Vendors must stay 150 feet from any existing restaurant and 150 feet from a freeway on- or off-ramp, cannot hook up to permanent water, gas, electricity, or cable service, must clear the site overnight rather than park there, and are limited to operating between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. unless the Director and Fire Marshal grant an exception.