Cary, NC Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Accessory use permit
- Distance from dwellings
- 150 feet minimum
- Distance from restaurants
- 100 feet minimum
- Max trucks per lot
- 3
- Operating hours
- 6 a.m. to midnight
Summary
Cary requires an accessory use permit for food trucks and sets strict distance rules: 150 feet from homes, 100 feet from restaurants, capped at 3 per lot.
Food trucks may not be located within one hundred fifty (150) feet of a lot with a dwelling unit as measured in a straight line from the location of the food truck to the nearest property boundary... No more than three (3) food trucks may be located on single lot... Food trucks may only operate between the hours of 6:00 a.m. to midnight.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2023 S-87_S-57: Current through local ordinance 2022-Code-05, passed 11-17-2022 and effective 11-17-2022 | LDO: Current through local ordinance 2022-LDO-04, passed 11-17-22 and effective 11-17-22).
Full Breakdown
The Town of Cary's Land Development Ordinance requires an accessory use permit, obtained by the property owner, before one or more food trucks may operate on a developed lot in non-residential or mixed-use zoning. Food trucks may not sit within 150 feet of a lot with a dwelling unit, must stay 100 feet from any restaurant's entrance, outdoor dining area, or other food truck (unless co-located), and no more than three food trucks may occupy a single lot. Trucks may operate only 6:00 a.m. to midnight, must clear the site when not operating, cannot use amplified music, and outdoor dining seating for the truck is not allowed.
Violations & Fines
Operating a food truck without an accessory use permit, within the required residential or restaurant separation distances, outside permitted hours, or with more than three trucks on one lot is a zoning violation enforceable by the Planning Department.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a food truck park near homes in Cary, NC?
Do food trucks need a permit to operate in Cary, NC?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cary
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