Chelan County, WA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Chelan County Code § 11.22.030 (Peshastin UGA use chart)
- Permitted zones
- C-H, I and I-C (Highway/Industrial/Campus Industrial)
- Prohibited zones
- R-1, R-2, R-3, C-D and P-U
- Enforcing agency
- Community Development administrator or sheriff
- First-time civil fine
- $750 under § 16.16.010
- Repeat civil fine
- $1,500
- Appeal window
- 14 days to the hearing examiner
Summary
In the Peshastin Urban Growth Area of unincorporated Chelan County, the district use chart at Chelan County Code § 11.22.030 permits mobile food service only as a matter of right in the Highway Commercial (C-H), Industrial (I) and Campus Industrial (I-C) zones. The use chart marks it prohibited, shown as a blank cell, in the R-1, R-2, R-3 residential zones, the Downtown Commercial (C-D) zone and the Public Use (P-U) zone.
PRM = Permitted use ... Where a cell is empty, the use is prohibited in that zone. All of these assume compliance with any and all development standards. ... C-H = Highway Commercial I = Industrial I-C = Campus Industrial ... Land Uses R-1 R-2 R-3 C-D C-H I I-C P-U ... Mobile Food Service PRM PRM PRM
Full Breakdown
Chelan County zones the Peshastin Urban Growth Area, an unincorporated community the county governs directly, under Chapter 11.22 of the zoning code. Section 11.22.030 adopts a district use chart covering every land use recognized in Peshastin's eight zoning districts: Low Density Residential (R-1), Medium Density Residential (R-2), High Density Residential (R-3), Downtown Commercial (C-D), Highway Commercial (C-H), Industrial (I), Campus Industrial (I-C) and Public Use (P-U). The chart marks 'Mobile Food Service' PRM, meaning permitted use, only in the C-H, I and I-C columns; every other zone's cell for that use is left blank, which the chart's own key states means the use 'is prohibited in that zone.' A vendor operating in Peshastin outside those three zones has no path to a mobile food permit under this chart alone.
Chelan County Community Development, the department that administers Title 11, still requires compliance with any applicable development standards in Chapters 11.88 through 11.93, including off-street parking under Chapter 11.90 and signage under Chapter 11.92, before a mobile vendor can set up in a qualifying zone. Because Peshastin has its own chart separate from the county-wide Title 11 chart that governs the rest of unincorporated Chelan County, operators should confirm which chart applies to their parcel before assuming a countywide rural-commercial or rural-industrial zone automatically extends the same permission.
Violations & Fines
Community Development, whose administrator is the department director, designee or the sheriff, enforces the use chart under Title 16. A vendor operating in a zone where the chart shows no PRM, ACC or CUP entry receives a notice and order under § 16.06.020. Section 16.16.010 sets the civil fine at $750 for a first violation and $1,500 for a repeat, and § 16.02.030 counts each day of continued operation as a separate violation. The operator has fourteen days to appeal to the hearing examiner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run a food truck anywhere in unincorporated Chelan County's Peshastin area?
What happens if I operate in a prohibited zone?
Do I still need other permits in a zone where mobile food service is permitted?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Chelan County
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