San Leandro, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Authority
- SLMC Chapter 4-34 (Mobile Food Vending)
- City permit
- Required for each vehicle
- County health permit
- Alameda County Environmental Health (required)
- Hours of operation
- 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM, 7 days/week
- Max time in one ROW spot
- 5 hours
- Buffer from restaurants
- 300 feet
- Buffer from schools
- 500 feet (30 min before/after school)
- Private-property TUP
- Required from Planning Division (510-577-3325)
Summary
Per San Leandro Municipal Code Chapter 4-34 (Mobile Food Vending), it is unlawful to operate a mobile food vending unit without a City permit, a business license, current commercial & auto liability insurance, and an Alameda County Environmental Health Department permit. Hours are limited to 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM daily.
Existing law provides for the regulation of microenterprise home kitchen operations and limits those operations to not serving more than 30 individual meals per day and not more than 60 individual meals per week and to no more than $50,000 in verifiable gross annual sales, as adjusted for inflation. Existing law authorizes the local enforcement agency to decrease the limit on the number of individual meals prepared based on the food preparation capacity of the operation.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 4-34 of the San Leandro Municipal Code makes it unlawful to engage in mobile food vending without first obtaining a permit. Each unit must hold: (1) a San Leandro business license; (2) current and valid commercial general liability and automobile liability insurance; (3) an Alameda County Environmental Health Department Mobile Food Facility permit; and (4) the City's Mobile Food Vending permit. Operating hours are 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM, seven days a week. In the public right-of-way a unit may not park more than 5 hours in any one location.
Vendors must maintain at least 300 feet from brick-and-mortar eating establishments and at least 500 feet from any school from 30 minutes before bell to 30 minutes after dismissal. On private property a Planning Temporary Use Permit (TUP) from the Planning Division is required, and operation is allowed only in zoning districts that permit it; no part of the truck, customer line, furniture, or equipment may encroach onto the public sidewalk. Mobile food vendors hold no exclusive right to any street location and may not operate in congested areas where their activity would impede public movement.
Violations & Fines
Per SLMC §4-34, violations may lead to business license suspension or revocation, impoundment of the mobile food facility, arrest, or administrative code-compliance proceedings. Administrative citations under SLMC §1-12 begin at $100 (first offense), $200 (second within 12 months), $500 (each subsequent).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a food truck just park on the street and sell?
Do private events like office parks count?
What insurance is required?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Leandro
California rules heatmap·Compare San Leandro to another location·View the California food trucks & mobile vendors overview
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Food Truck Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle food truck permits.