Richardson, TX Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Section 12-121(a) starts from a general ban on peddling or selling merchandise on any public sidewalk, street or right-of-way, then carves out an exception for mobile food vending as long as the operator holds both a solicitor's permit from the police department and a health permit from the city's director of health. Subsection (b) makes carrying both permits mandatory at all times during operation, and subsection (c) requires the vending vehicle itself to be built and run according to the Texas Food Establishment Rules adopted at Section 10-126.

Subsection (d) adds a commissary requirement: the vendor must be able to prove, on demand, access to a commissary or central preparation facility, and subsection (e) requires compliance with the City Fire Code. Subsection (f) confines all food preparation, cooking and service to inside the vehicle itself. A separate track exists for vendors permitted through Dallas County: under Section 12-121A, a mobile food service establishment holding a current Dallas County permit under Health and Safety Code Chapter 437A does not need a separate city health permit for the Dallas County portion of Richardson, though it still needs the police department's solicitor's permit and must follow the location and operating rules in Section 12-121(c) through (k). That county carve-out expires automatically if the state law it depends on is repealed or stops covering Richardson.