Bowling Green, KY Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Sec. 15-7.02(b)-(c) of the Bowling Green Code of Ordinances splits Mobile Food Unit vending rules by location. Outside the Downtown Square Area, defined as Fountain Square and the surrounding blocks between 8th and 10th Avenues and College and State Streets, units can use authorized on-street parallel parking spaces from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. daily, occupying no more than two consecutive spaces and parking no longer than four hours at a stretch, and never closer than ten feet to a structure. Inside the Downtown Square Area, on-street parallel parking for vending is limited to 6:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m., with a two-hour parking cap instead of four.

After 5:00 p.m., a unit operating downtown must relocate to a signed loading or unloading zone and must stop operating entirely by 2:30 a.m. In both zones, vendors cannot block other drivers from entering or exiting a street or alley, cannot obscure traffic signs, and cannot leave a unit unattended or parked overnight; an abandoned unit can be towed at the City's discretion. Special events override these default zones only under an approved special-event application, and consent from the City's Parks and Recreation Director or CFO is required to vend on other City property such as parks or parking lots.