Georgetown, TX Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Chapter 6.50 of the Georgetown Code of Ordinances treats anyone who displays or sells a commodity from a stand on public or private property or on a street as an itinerant merchant. Commodity expressly includes food of any kind, and stand expressly includes a vehicle, handcart, pushcart, booth or table, so a food truck or cart falls inside the chapter. Activities under an Event Permit (Chapter 12.24) and temporary uses under Section 5.04 of the Unified Development Code sit outside it.

Section 6.50.040(A) lists where and how a merchant can sell. No outcry, speaker or amplifier that can be heard beyond 300 feet. No fluttering, spinning or waving devices that distract drivers. No selling within 100 feet of a police or fire station driveway, within 500 feet of any street intersection or pedestrian crosswalk, or within 150 feet of any driveway, loading zone or taxi stop. Another vendor's assigned spot on a public street must be 500 feet away. Parks and hospitals, colleges, universities and elementary, middle and high schools each carry a 1,000 foot buffer. Building entrances and exits carry a 150 foot buffer, which grows to 500 feet for hotels and motels.

Zoning is the tightest filter. Since March 1, 2009 an itinerant merchant can operate only in areas mapped C-3 (General Commercial) or IN (Industrial) on the Official Zoning Map. Signs must comply with Section 10 of the Unified Development Code, and no setup can block traffic signals, regulatory signs, access for an abutting owner or tenant, or emergency and sanitation vehicles.

Under Section 6.50.050 vending is limited to the window between 8:00 a.m. and sunset. The permit comes from the Events Committee after the Development Engineer reviews the site, and Section 6.50.020 requires the application at least 30 days before the first sale. Permits run up to 90 days under Section 6.50.020(B), with fees of $20 for seven days, $25 for 30 days, $30 for 90 days and $50 for 180 days per vehicle or stand.

A merchant who cannot meet a distance or zoning limit can ask the City Council for a waiver under Section 6.50.040(B). The written request goes in at least 30 days ahead with the full permit application, a statement of which provision to waive, the reasons, and a non-refundable $100 fee. The Council can grant, deny or condition the waiver by hours, duration, stand type or traffic and parking limits. A granted waiver lasts three calendar months, and one renewal costs $50.