Albany, OR Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Where a mobile food unit can sit in the City of Albany, Oregon, is set by Chapter 5.06 of the Albany Municipal Code. Section 5.06.100 is the zoning rule: unless the property is approved as an MFU pod through the Albany Development Code, MFUs shall only locate on properties within zones defined in Article 4 and Article 5 of the Albany Development Code and that are not used primarily for residential purposes. The zone lists themselves sit in the Development Code, which is a separate instrument from the Municipal Code, so the zone-by-zone answer has to be read there.

The property carries its own approval in addition to the operator's permit. Section 5.06.040 says a property shall not be used by an MFU without an approved property MFU authorization application or site plan approval for a mobile food unit pod. A property owner who wants any MFU on the property for more than 2 days within any 30-day period must obtain that approval first (§ 5.06.080). The application needs a scaled site plan showing the proposed area and its total square footage, a circulation plan for vehicle and pedestrian traffic, a parking plan showing compliance with all Albany Development Code parking requirements, and a site layout showing compliance with setbacks, buffering, and separation requirements set by the Development Code, the Building Codes, and the Albany Fire Department. Under § 5.06.140(1) the authorization does not expire unless modified, is specific to the property and property owner, and cannot be transferred.

Pods are treated differently. Under § 5.06.050(1), an MFU pod, defined in § 5.06.010 as a group of two or more mobile food units on the same legal parcel, is considered only as a permanent installation and requires site plan approval under the Albany Development Code before any MFU locates on the property. Each MFU in a pod still needs its own MFU permit under § 5.06.030.

On the site itself, § 5.06.160 bars several placements. Direct or indirect operation of the MFU, such as a customer line, table placement, or sign placement, shall not be within or block the public right-of-way. The MFU and everything associated with it cannot obstruct required pedestrian pathways, driveways, or drive aisles, cannot be parked in required landscape areas, and cannot offer drive-through or drive-up service. Section 5.06.110(3) also requires a 10-foot minimum clearance from any structure or combustible item not integral to the unit, with an exemption for units inside a pod, which follow the formal review process.