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Aurora, CO Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified August 2026

Key Facts

Restaurant separation
175 feet while open
Home separation
50 feet from single-family lot line
Hours
7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Licenses required
Aurora business + state mobile food license
City property
Not allowed unless separately authorized

Summary

Aurora food trucks must stay 175 feet from open restaurants and 50 feet from single-family homes, and follow separate rules for private lots, schools, and public right-of-way.

Mobile Food Trucks are subject to following location restrictions: a. Separation Distance Requirements. Mobile Food Trucks may operate only in locations that are: i. At least minimum of 175 feet distance from any restaurant, while the restaurant is open for business... ii. At least 50 feet from any single-family detached dwelling within the City... d. City-Owned Property. Mobile Food Trucks may not operate on City property regardless of the zone district unless authority to operate is provided for elsewhere in the Aurora City Code or otherwise authorized by the City Manager.

Source: Aurora Municipal Code Ch. 118View official code

Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-30, passed June 22, 2026).

Full Breakdown

Aurora's Unified Development Ordinance regulates where a Mobile Food Truck may operate under UDO § 146-3.3.6.K. Trucks need both an Aurora business license and a State of Colorado mobile retail food service license, displayed at all times, and may run only 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. On private property the operator needs the owner's written permission on hand; near a Pre-K-12 or postsecondary school, written permission from a school representative. Trucks cannot park on City-owned property unless separately authorized, but may operate in the public right-of-way in a legal parking space, serving only from the sidewalk or curb side. This section yields whenever a food vendor is separately authorized under the Aurora City Code.

Violations & Fines

Operating without the required separation distance, business license, or state mobile retail food service license is an enforceable UDO violation; the City can also cite unauthorized vending on City property or right-of-way misuse.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a food truck park right next to a competing restaurant in Aurora?
Not while it's open for business. UDO § 146-3.3.6.K requires at least 175 feet from the restaurant's public entrance, unless the truck has the restaurant's written permission.
Can an Aurora food truck operate on a city street?
Yes, in the public right-of-way, but only in a legal parking space, serving customers from the sidewalk or curb side per UDO § 146-3.3.6.K.4.e.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Aurora

All Aurora rules

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