Peoria's Mobile Food Vehicle ordinance (Code Chapter 18, Article XVII) requires every food truck operating on public right-of-way or in regulated public locations to obtain a city license. The city license fee is $0 for 2026 (waived), but operators must post a $1,000 performance bond, carry liability insurance ($300k/$500k/$15k), hold a Peoria City/County Health Department food license, and obtain a Fire Department permit. Downtown licenses are capped at 5 food trucks and 23 pushcarts. Hours are 7 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. outside downtown.
Mobile food vending in Peoria is regulated by the Code of Ordinances Chapter 18 (Licenses, Miscellaneous Business Regulations), Article XVII (Mobile Food Vehicles). The City of Peoria currently waives the licensing fee for 2026 (free for the calendar year), but the rest of the regulatory framework remains in force. A Mobile Food Vehicle License is required whenever a food truck, food trailer, or pushcart operates on public right-of-way within Peoria or in any regulated public location; operation on fully private property with the owner's permission generally does not require the city license, though Health Department licensing remains mandatory. Application requirements include: (1) a completed Mobile Food Vehicle License application; (2) proof of a Peoria City/County Health Department food license under the County's food-service program; (3) a Fire Department permit covering propane, generators, and cooking-equipment safety; (4) a $1,000 performance bond naming the City of Peoria as obligee; (5) commercial general liability insurance with minimum limits of $300,000 per person, $500,000 per occurrence, and $15,000 property damage; (6) a sample menu and vehicle specifications; (7) written permission from the property owner where the truck will routinely operate, if applicable; and (8) a cash register or POS capable of recording sales for tax purposes. Operators must collect the Peoria 2% municipal food and beverage tax on all food and drink sales, in addition to Illinois sales tax. Operating hours are 7:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. citywide outside of downtown; downtown-licensed vendors have no time restrictions (subject to health-department requirements). The downtown program caps the number of licenses to maintain the brick-and-mortar restaurant balance: only 5 food truck licenses and up to 23 pushcart licenses are issued annually for designated downtown locations. Performance bonds (surety) are required to cover any unpaid taxes, fees, or municipal damages.
Operating a mobile food vehicle in Peoria without a current Chapter 18, Article XVII license (where one is required) is enforceable by Peoria Code Enforcement, Peoria Police, and the Peoria City/County Health Department. Citations carry escalating fines through the Administrative Hearing Officer, and the vendor may be required to cease operation immediately at the unlicensed location. Failure to maintain the required Health Department food license is independently enforceable by the Health Department and is grounds for immediate shutdown. Failure to maintain the $1,000 bond or the required liability insurance is grounds for license revocation. Failure to collect and remit the 2% municipal food and beverage tax is enforceable by the Peoria Finance Department. Operating outside the allowed hours (after 11:59 p.m. outside downtown), within prohibited locations (Fulton Plaza, residential areas, restaurant 300-foot buffer without permission, school 500-foot buffer during school hours, event 500-foot buffer without registration, 30 feet of intersections, bus stops, taxi stands, handicap zones), or leaving the truck unattended, may each be cited as a separate violation. Repeated violations are grounds for non-renewal of the annual license.
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