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De Pere, WI Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Flat ban
Playgrounds, schools, libraries, public premises
Park vending
Needs board of park commissioners permit
Congested-area vending
Prohibited if it impedes public use
Extended hours
Exemption excludes residential zoning districts
Penalty
$1.00 to $1,000.00 forfeiture per offense

Summary

De Pere bars mobile food vendors from congested areas that impede public use and from operating on any playground, school, library or other public premises outright. Selling in a city park takes a separate park vending permit from the board of park commissioners, and hours outside the Main Street District's designated zone need board of public works approval.

c.Zoning restrictions. The vendor of the mobile food establishment shall not operate in a congested area where such operation impedes or inconveniences public use. No vendor shall engage in the licensed business on any public park unless a park vending permit has been issued by the board of park commissioners for such activity pursuant to section 30-2(j), nor shall any vendor engage in the licensed business upon any playground, school, library or other public premises.d.Exemptions.1.Upon application and approval from the board of public works, the licensee may periodically and infrequently extend the hours of service of the mobile food establishment outside the designated zone displayed in Exhibit A of the ordinance from which this section is derived from 6:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. for business purposes only. This exemption shall not be applicable in any residential zoning district.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 9).

Full Breakdown

is the zoning-side limit on where a mobile food establishment can operate. It bars a vendor from operating in a congested area where the business impedes or inconveniences public use, a judgment the health department and police make when reviewing complaints. Selling on any public park is prohibited unless the vendor first obtains a separate park vending permit from the board of park commissioners under § 30-2(j); the mobile food license from § 106-4(d)(2) alone does not cover park property. The ordinance goes further and flatly bars vending on any playground, school, library or other public premises, with no permit path around that prohibition at all.

, but that exemption is unavailable in any residential zoning district no matter how the board rules. Because Exhibit A and the residential district maps are not reproduced as readable text in the ordinance file, a vendor has to check the exhibit itself, on file with the city clerk, to know exactly which streets fall inside the designated zone before assuming an extended-hours request is even possible.

Violations & Fines

Vending in a congested area that impedes public use, selling on park property without the separate park vending permit from the board of park commissioners, or operating on a playground, school, library or other public premises violates § 106-4(d)(7)c. Each violation of the mobile food establishment chapter is subject to a forfeiture of not less than $1.00 nor more than $1,000.00 per offense.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a food truck park near a De Pere school?
No. Section 106-4(d)(7)c. flatly bars a mobile food establishment from engaging in licensed business upon any playground, school, library or other public premises. Unlike the park-vending rule, there is no permit or variance path around this specific prohibition anywhere in the city.
Does a food truck need a separate permit to sell in a De Pere park?
Yes. The general mobile food establishment license under § 106-4(d)(2) does not cover park property. A vendor must also obtain a park vending permit issued by the board of park commissioners under § 30-2(j) before selling anywhere on city park land.
Can a De Pere food truck get approval to sell late at night outside its zone?
Only through the board of public works, and only outside residential districts. Section 106-4(d)(7)d.1. lets a licensee apply to extend hours beyond the designated Exhibit A zone out to 3:00 a.m., but that exemption never applies in any residential zoning district.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in De Pere

All De Pere rules

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