Fort Collins, CO Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- School buffer
- 200 feet from K-12 property boundary
- Zone limit
- Non-neighborhood zone districts only
- Excluded street
- Linden Street
- Product limit
- Food and nonalcoholic beverages only
- Signage rule
- Permanently affixed; no right-of-way banners
Summary
Fort Collins mobile food trucks can only vend on lots or legal parallel-parking streets in non-neighborhood zone districts, never on Linden Street, and never within 200 feet of a K-12 school. They may sell only food and nonalcoholic beverages, with signage permanently affixed rather than banners in the right-of-way.
(p)The following additional requirements shall apply to particular types of outdoor vendor licensees, as specified:(1)Mobile food truck vendors shall:a.Vend only on lots in non-neighborhood zone districts or on streets in locations in non-neighborhood zone districts where parallel parking is allowed, excluding Linden Street as defined in this Article except where permitted as part of licensed special event under Chapter 23.5 of this Code or as a concessionaire of the City;b.Not stop to vend within two hundred (200) feet of the property boundary of any public or private school for students within the grade range of kindergarten through twelfth (12th) grade;c.Vend only food and nonalcoholic beverages; andd.Permanently affix or paint any signage on the mobile food truck, with no signs/banners in or alongside street right-of-way or across roadways.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 155 | Transitional Land Use Code (for project before May 17, 2024): Supplement 61 | Traffic Code: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 15-387(p)(1) sets the location rules specific to mobile food truck vendors: they may vend only on lots in non-neighborhood zone districts, or on streets in non-neighborhood zone districts where parallel parking is legally allowed, excluding Linden Street (except as part of a licensed special event or as a City concessionaire). They cannot stop to vend within 200 feet of the property boundary of any public or private school serving kindergarten through 12th grade, may sell only food and nonalcoholic beverages, and must permanently affix or paint signage on the truck itself, with no banners placed in or alongside the street right-of-way or across roadways.
Neighborhood zone districts are separately defined in § 15-381 to include Rural Lands, Urban Estate, Residential Foothills, Low Density Residential, Low Density Mixed-Use Neighborhood, Medium Density Mixed-Use Neighborhood, Old Town and High Density Mixed-Use Neighborhood; everything else is a non-neighborhood zone district where standard mobile food trucks may operate. , under § 15-387(p)(3). General siting bans under § 15-387(b) also block any outdoor vendor from crosswalk extensions, within ten feet of a building entrance, or on Downtown Zone District sidewalks.
Violations & Fines
Vending outside an authorized zone or within the 200-foot school buffer violates § 15-387 and can trigger license suspension, revocation or denial under § 15-391 for failing to operate consistent with license terms. General violations of the Outdoor Vendors Article carry a fine or imprisonment under § 1-15 per § 15-392.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Fort Collins food truck park in a residential neighborhood?
How close can a food truck park to a school in Fort Collins?
Is Linden Street off-limits to food trucks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fort Collins
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Vending Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Larimer County handle vending zones.