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

Some Restrictions

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

Key Facts

Governing section: LDR § 3.209.2, Article 3, Division 4
MFDV defined: Self-propelled/movable public food service vehicle
Permit exemption: MFDVs skip § 3.209.2.C application & .F revocation
Hurricane duty: Remove vehicle on hurricane watch/warning
Still applies: Siting rules (.D) and prohibitions (.E)

Summary

Martin County exempts mobile food dispensing vehicles from the standard itinerant-merchant permitting steps. LDR § 3.209.2.H excuses food trucks from the zoning compliance application in 3.209.2.C and the revocation process in 3.209.2.F that apply to peddlers and seasonal sales, but a food truck still must meet the section's siting, hurricane-removal and prohibition rules to operate legally.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of Martin County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

Mobile food dispensing vehicle is any vehicle that is a public food service establishment and that is self-propelled or otherwise movable from place to place and includes self-contained utilities, including, but not limited to, gas, water, electricity or liquid waste disposal. ... 3.209.2.H.Exceptions. The provisions of sections 3.209.2.C and 3.209.2.F shall not apply to mobile food dispensing vehicles.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 62 | Land Development Regulations: Supplement 62).

Full Breakdown

Article 3, Division 4 of the Martin County Land Development Regulations defines a mobile food dispensing vehicle (MFDV) in Sec. A as any self-propelled or movable vehicle that is a public food service establishment with self-contained utilities such as gas, water, electricity or liquid waste disposal. Unlike peddlers, itinerant merchants and seasonal-sale vendors, an MFDV is expressly carved out of the county's zoning compliance application process: Sec. F, the grounds for revoking an approved application, do not apply to mobile food dispensing vehicles. A food truck operator does not file the same zoning compliance application, pay the same application fee set by Board of County Commissioners resolution, or face the administrative revocation process that applies to an itinerant merchant.

B, most importantly removing the vehicle from its site immediately upon a hurricane watch or warning declared by the National Hurricane Center for Martin County. E, including a ban on operating on county-owned land or road right-of-way without County Administrator authorization. 2 entirely.

Violations & Fines

Operating an MFDV outside the locations or conditions set in Sec. 3.209.2, for example on county land without Administrator authorization or without the required customer parking, is enforced as a zoning violation through Martin County code compliance rather than through the 3.209.2.F revocation process, since that process does not apply to food trucks. A cited operator can be ordered to relocate or cease operating at the noncompliant site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a food truck need a Martin County zoning permit to operate?

No separate zoning compliance application. LDR § 3.209.2.H exempts mobile food dispensing vehicles from the zoning compliance determination process that peddlers, itinerant merchants and seasonal sales must file under 3.209.2.C. A food truck still has to meet the section's siting rules, such as owner permission and on-site parking, and it must carry the state DBPR mobile food license and county business tax receipt required outside this section.

Do food trucks have to leave before a hurricane in Martin County?

Yes. Sec. 3.209.2.B.3 requires itinerant merchants and mobile food dispensing vehicles to remove all vehicles of conveyance and portable apparatus from the site immediately upon a hurricane watch or warning declared by the National Hurricane Center for Martin County. This applies regardless of how long the truck has operated at that location.

Can Martin County revoke a food truck's approval like it can for a peddler?

No. Sec. 3.209.2.H specifically excludes mobile food dispensing vehicles from the revocation procedure in 3.209.2.F, which lets the County Administrator revoke an itinerant merchant or seasonal-sale approval for violations, fraud or an unapproved location change. Because food trucks never go through that approval step, the county instead uses its general code compliance process to address a noncompliant site.

Sources & Official References

[1]Martin County Land Development Regulations, Sec. 3.209.2 (Municode)

Other rules in Martin County

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All Martin County rules

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