Pismo Beach, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)

Chapter 12.22 of the Pismo Beach Municipal Code is the city's sidewalk vending program, adopted by Ordinance O-2020-005. Section 12.22.070 lists the operating conditions every sidewalk vendor follows. Vendors sell only food and/or merchandise and do not sell or provide services. Food and merchandise are stored inside or affixed to the cart, or carried by the vendor, and are never stored, placed or kept on public property.

The cart itself is capped. A cart and any attachments cannot exceed a total height of four (4) feet, a total width of four (4) feet and a total length of four (4) feet, and the vendor's trash container counts toward that size limit. Under subsection G, no cart contains or uses propane, natural gas, gasoline or other explosive or hazardous materials, and no cart uses electrical power from a generator running on any of them. A cart cannot touch, lean against or be affixed to any building or structure, including lampposts, parking meters, mailboxes, traffic signals, fire hydrants, benches, bus shelters, newsstands, trashcans or traffic barriers.

The paperwork travels with the cart. The business license and the sidewalk vendor permit are displayed conspicuously on the cart or on the vendor, and when several vendors staff one cart, each person wears their own permit. Vendors selling food have all applicable food vending licenses and permits issued by the County of San Luis Obispo or other regulatory agency in their possession at all times. Signs follow the city's sign laws, with no electrical, flashing, wind-powered or animated sign.

Cleanup is a condition too. Food vendors keep a trash container in or on the cart and do not empty it into public trashcans, and no vendor leaves a location without picking up and disposing of all trash or refuse. Food, grease or other fluid that falls on public property is cleaned up immediately. A police officer, firefighter, lifeguard, code enforcement officer, health inspector or other official charged with enforcing these rules can inspect a cart at any time.