Sarasota County, FL Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

A "mobile food dispensing vehicle" is defined as any self-propelled or towable vehicle that is a public food service establishment and is self-contained for utilities such as gas, water, electricity, or liquid waste disposal; food sold from a vehicle that does not meet this definition is prohibited outright. Operators cannot sell alcoholic beverages from the vehicle, and overnight parking is allowed only on private property, never on the street or in a public lot. The county reserves the right to relocate any mobile food dispensing vehicle found on public property, in a right-of-way, or on a sidewalk for any reason.

Trucks may only operate with the property owner's consent and on a developed property, though the vehicle may extend onto an adjoining vacant parcel under the same ownership. No more than two mobile food dispensing vehicles may operate on a single parcel at once unless the county has issued a Temporary Use Permit for a Special Event allowing more. Operating hours are tied to the host business or institution's own hours. The operator and property owner are jointly responsible for collecting and properly disposing of waste, grease, and trash generated by the truck; nothing may be released into the gutter or storm drainage system.

Physically, the vehicle itself is capped at 10 by 27 feet, and each separate towed or self-propelled component may have no more than two axles. The current version of Section 124-157 was adopted by Ordinance No. 2022-029, Section 3, effective August 30, 2022.