Calaveras County, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Calaveras County Code § 17.25.220.B.3
- Permit required
- Temporary use permit, Chapter 17.32
- Vendors per lot per day
- 1, without an admin use permit
- Max daily operating time
- 6 hours per lot
- Max annual days per lot
- 90 days per 12 months
- Overnight parking
- Prohibited on the vending site
Summary
Mobile food vendors in unincorporated Calaveras County need a temporary use permit under Calaveras County Code § 17.25.220.B.3. A single lot can host only one vendor per day absent an administrative use permit, and no vendor may operate on the same lot for more than six hours a day or ninety total days in any twelve-month period.
17.25.220 - Temporary uses. ... B.Temporary Uses Requiring a Temporary Use Permit. Other temporary uses may be permitted pursuant to Chapter 17.32, Temporary Use Permits, subject to the following standards. ... 3.Mobile Vending. Mobile vendors in compliance with the following standards: ... b.Number. ... Maximum one mobile vendor per day per lot unless authorized through an administrative use permit.c.Duration. Maximum six hours per day per lot. No lot may have a mobile vendor onsite for more than ninety days total in any twelve month period. ... e.Required Parking. No parking spaces are required for a mobile vendor that meets all the standards under this section.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
32 of the code. A single lot is limited to one mobile vendor per day unless the property owner or vendor obtains an administrative use permit allowing more. Even with a permit, a vendor cannot stay on one lot for more than six hours in a day, and the same lot cannot host a mobile vendor for more than ninety total days in any rolling twelve-month period. The vending vehicle itself must stop or park only on a surface paved with concrete, asphalt, or another surface the planning director approves, and it cannot be left unattended, parked when inactive, or stored on the lot overnight; it has to leave the site between operating periods.
f. Vendors also cannot use bells, chimes, amplified music, or other noise to draw attention to the business while operating, and must keep the area free of litter with trash receptacles available for customers. The planning director can approve modifications to any of these standards through an administrative use permit.
Violations & Fines
Operating a mobile food vending business without a temporary use permit, exceeding the six-hour daily or ninety-day annual limit, or parking overnight on the lot violates § 17.25.220 and is a zoning infraction under Calaveras County Code § 17.41.050. The planning director, chief building official, or Sheriff can enforce the standard, and the county may abate the violation and recover its costs under Chapter 8.06 against the vendor, the property owner, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
What permit does a food truck need in Calaveras County?
How many days a year can a food truck park on the same lot?
Does a food truck need its own parking spaces?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Calaveras County
California rules heatmap·Compare Calaveras County to another location·View the California food trucks & mobile vendors overview
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