Arcadia, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Section 3233 of the Arcadia Municipal Code bars anyone from selling goods from a vehicle in the public right-of-way, or to people inside a vehicle unless it is lawfully parked. Section 3234, adopted under California Vehicle Code § 22455, carves out an exception for mobile food vendors, who can use the right-of-way under the time, place, and manner limits in § 3234.2. The vehicle must comply with every parking and Vehicle Code rule at its spot and cannot obstruct pedestrian or vehicular traffic in any manner.

The buffers are 10 feet from the outer edge of any business entrance while that business is open to the public (waived with the business's written consent), 25 feet from an intersection controlled by a traffic light, crosswalk, or stop sign, 25 feet from a bus stop, and 300 feet from the nearest property line of a public school between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on school days. The school buffer is waived for special events with a City permit or by written permission of the Arcadia Unified School District or the entity operating the school.

Vending is prohibited on the exposed street or traffic side of the vehicle. A vending vehicle cannot stand or park in the right-of-way from 12:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. in commercial and industrial zones, or from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. in residential zones. Vendors must keep the vending area litter free, remove litter within a 25-foot radius, and never discharge water, grease or oil onto City streets, storm drains, catch basins or sewer facilities. Paperwork includes a valid City business license with evidence of insurance, a Los Angeles County Department of Health permit carried at all times, and Arcadia Fire Department inspection before the initial business license, including a UL 300 listed automatic fire extinguishing system over grease-producing cooking equipment and a Class K fire extinguisher.

On private property, § 9104.02.220 requires a Temporary Use Permit, the property owner's written approval, parking on concrete, asphalt or another impervious surface, and operation only between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m., including set-up and clean-up. Certified farmer's markets and street fairs under a City special permit fall outside that subsection.