Rock Hill, SC Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

5(E) of the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Rock Hill covers mobile food vendors who stay at one site during a meal period rather than actively touring multiple stops. Three locations are allowed: a space the Planning Commission has approved in a pedestrian-oriented area such as downtown, an urban mixed-use area, a major park, an athletic venue, or a multi-building college or employment campus; a properly permitted special event; or a conditional accessory use tied to a host business that wants on-site food service for its own customers.

Wherever the truck sits, it must serve pedestrian flow, event attendees, or on-site customers, not passing traffic on nearby roads. The vendor must have the property owner's written permission before setting up, and if the unit sits in the public right-of-way it needs the City's written permission too. The unit has to be parked so it does not create a traffic or safety hazard or block other on-site uses, the vendor is responsible for removing garbage and keeping the area free of litter, and someone must staff the unit at all times it is open.

The unit cannot stay on site overnight, and the operator must keep documentation of state food-service licensing on hand and produce it on request. Vendors also need to arrange access to nearby restroom facilities for employees. Because the accessory-use route runs through the host business's zoning approval and the destination-site route runs through Planning Commission review, a vendor should confirm which path applies before setting up.