Owensboro, KY Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)

The City of Owensboro treats a food truck or ice cream truck as a 'mobile food unit' under Municipal Code § 16-4, and every mobile food unit vendor must hold a per-unit license, backed by a certificate of insurance and health department approval, before parking on a street or sidewalk. The base mobile food vending permit costs $250 and runs for twelve months; vendors who also want to work the Downtown Entertainment District created under Ordinance 28-2013 pay an additional $400. Section 16-4(V) then lists sidewalk-specific operating rules: a vendor cannot locate within 15 feet of a driveway or building entrance without the property owner's written permission, cannot block a public bench or utility pole, cannot set up chairs or tables on the public right-of-way, and cannot use stakes, rods, or any support drilled or driven into pavement, curbs, sidewalks, or buildings, remaining solely liable for any damage caused.

Vendors must carry liability insurance of at least $25,000 per person, $50,000 total, and $10,000 for property damage, naming the city as an additional insured. The city manager's designee and Owensboro Police Department handle inspections and complaints, and any accident causing more than $300 in damage or any injury must be reported to the chief of police within five days. A vendor operating on city parkland also needs a separate Parks and Recreation Department permit, which that department can condition or deny to protect health, safety, or the surrounding area.