Apex, NC Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Apex Town Code Chapter 13, Article IV sets out both the locations where food trucks may operate (Sec. 13-62) and the operational standards while they operate (Sec. 13-63). Sec. 13-62 Location Standards: (a) on private property with written permission from the property owner; (b) on Town-owned public property as designated, with prior written approval of the Town Manager or designee — vendors in Town parks must also comply with Sec. 13-52(13) and 13-53(b); (c) except as otherwise provided, Mobile Food Vendors are 'prohibited from vending in any residentially zoned area'; (d) no vendor may operate from, or leave a unit unattended on, 'any public right-of-way, required buffer, paved or traveled portion of a street, handicapped space, or fire lane'; (e) no vendor may locate so as to impede or interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic, or obstruct the entrance or exit of any building, and all vendors must observe the Americans with Disabilities Act. Sec. 13-63 Operating Standards: (a) operating hours are limited to 6 a.m. to midnight; (b) approval from the county health department where the commissary restaurant is located is required; (c) at least one lidded trash receptacle for customer use within 10 feet, and any trash within 10 feet must be removed before leaving; (d) at least a Class 2A, 10B or C fire extinguisher (Class K if deep frying), maintained per NFPA standards; (e) 10 feet of clearance from buildings, structures, vehicles, and combustibles on all sides when in service; (f) LP gas capped at 200 gallons individual or aggregate; (g) LP containers within 12 years of manufacture and requalified every five years; (h) carbon monoxide and propane leak detectors required; (i) generators / ignition sources at least 5 feet from LP tanks (metal partition if minimum distance not met); (j) Town Fire Marshal inspection required; (k) no outdoor seating area (tents, tables, chairs, booths, bar stools, benches, stand-up counters); (l) no continuous amplified sound — any amplified sound must comply with Town Code Sec. 14-31; (m) all signage must comply with the UDO; (n) no drive-through window; (o) only the goods listed in the permit may be sold; (p) no federal, state, or local law violations; (q) permit must be displayed in clear view of customers and produced on demand. Sec. 13-69.3 exempts farm / dairy producers, 501(c)(3) charitable operations, services invited by a resident or HOA, one-time Town-approved special events, Town-approved farmer's markets, and Town-issued temporary use permits — but operating standards in Sec. 13-63 still apply to exempted vendors. Apex does not publish a fixed buffer distance from brick-and-mortar restaurants.