Fresno County, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Zoning Ordinance § 834.4.130
- Drive-through kiosk size cap
- 350 square feet of building area
- Alcohol sales
- Prohibited at drive-through kiosks
- Mobile food facility duty
- On-site parking, ingress, egress, restrooms
- Compliance review
- Site Plan Review by the Director required
- Zoning violation penalty
- Up to $500 fine or 180 days jail
Summary
Fresno County treats food trucks and mobile food units as a zoning use, not a sidewalk-vending permit. Section 834.4.130 of the Zoning Ordinance caps drive-through food kiosks at 350 square feet, bans alcohol sales at those kiosks, and requires mobile food facilities and mobile support units to provide adequate parking, ingress, egress and restroom facilities on the parcel where they operate.
834.4.130 - Drive-In, -Up, -Through, Kiosks and Mobile Food/Support Facilities and Units Support
A. Purpose. The purpose of this Section is to provide adequate waiting areas, restrooms, parking, and ingress and egress to the parking for drive-in, drive-up, and drive-through facilities, and mobile food facilities and mobile support units, where allowed by Article 2 (Zones, Allowable Land Uses, and Zone-Specific Standards).
B. Standards.
2. Drive-through kiosks. As defined in Article 7, facilities shall be limited to 350 square feet of building area and are retail facilities for the sale of items such as food and beverages for motorists. The sale of alcoholic beverages through a drive-through kiosk is prohibited.
4. Mobile food facilities and mobile support units. Adequate restroom facilities and parking, and ingress and egress to the parking shall be provided on the subject parcel.
Full Breakdown
' The stated purpose is to provide adequate waiting areas, restrooms, parking, and ingress and egress to parking for these facilities where allowed by the applicable zone district under Article 2. The standards distinguish several formats. Dairy drive-ins must keep all activity besides delivery of merchandise to the customer inside an entirely enclosed structure, with adequate ingress, egress and waiting areas on site. Drive-through kiosks, as defined in Article 7, are capped at 350 square feet of building area and may sell items like food and beverages to motorists, but the sale of alcoholic beverages through a drive-through kiosk is flatly prohibited.
Drive-in movies and drive-in restaurants must each provide adequate waiting area, parking, and ingress/egress on the subject parcel. For mobile food facilities and mobile support units specifically, the standard requires adequate restroom facilities and parking, plus ingress and egress to that parking, all provided on the subject parcel. Because this is a siting standard tied to a fixed parcel, it governs where a truck or unit may operate under the zoning code rather than creating a separate public-right-of-way sidewalk vending permit; the county code reviewed here contains no distinct sidewalk-vendor licensing chapter. 5, approved by the Director of Public Works and Planning, to confirm compliance before operation begins.
Violations & Fines
Operating a drive-through kiosk over 350 square feet, selling alcohol through one, or running a mobile food facility without the required on-site parking, ingress, egress or restroom access violates Section 834.4.130. Zoning Ordinance Section 878.6.030 makes any violation of the Zoning Ordinance a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500, up to 180 days in County Jail, or both, with each day of continued violation counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Fresno County have a sidewalk food-vending permit?
How big can a drive-through food kiosk be in unincorporated Fresno County?
What happens if a mobile food operation violates the zoning standard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fresno County
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