Jonesboro, AR Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Approved locations
- 13 sites, V-1 through V-13
- District
- C-1 downtown only
- Permit term
- 12 months
- Retailer exception setback
- 25 feet from right-of-way
- Full slots
- Waiting list maintained
Summary
Jonesboro confines permitted itinerant street food vending to a fixed set of 13 mapped locations, V-1 through V-13, all inside the C-1 downtown district, with a waiting list once every slot is taken; large retailers can also host vending 25 feet off the right-of-way with the store's written consent.
Permit locations are restricted to the approved and adopted locations V-1 thru V-13. Mapped allowable locations shall be maintained in both the planning department and city collector's office at all times. Permits shall be issued for a duration of 12 months...Special location exceptions: temporary itinerant vending shall be permitted at large retail establishments having adequate parking to satisfy zoning code compliance, and where approval has been granted by the commercial management by letter. Such vending approval may be situated on the subject commercial property only in areas no closer than 25 feet from the street right-of-way.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 16).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 117-258(d)(5)3 restricts itinerant street food vending permits to specific pre-approved sites. Permit locations are limited to the adopted locations designated V-1 through V-13, mapped and kept on file at both the planning department and the city collector's office, with each permit issued for a 12-month term. Once all 13 slots are filled, the administrator (the planning director or a designee) maintains a waiting list of applicants, and slots rotate to the next person in line as they open up; a vendor already holding a location may renew at the same spot if no one else is waiting for it.
Subsection (d)(5)b provides a special location exception outside the C-1 district: temporary itinerant vending is allowed at large retail establishments with parking that satisfies zoning code compliance, if the retailer's commercial management approves in writing, and only in areas no closer than 25 feet from the street right-of-way, with health department inspection still required. This location scheme sits alongside the general commercial-trailer siting rule in Sec. 117-258(c)(1), which limits trailers and vending stands to zoning districts that already permit the specific use for which the trailer is intended.
Violations & Fines
Operating an itinerant street vending unit outside the 13 mapped V-1 through V-13 locations, or outside a properly authorized large-retailer exception site under Sec. 117-258(d)(5)b, violates Sec. 117-258(d)(5) and subjects the vendor to the $75.00 per-violation fine set by Sec. 117-258(d)(8).
Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I legally set up an itinerant food vending unit in Jonesboro?
What happens if all 13 vending locations are taken?
Can I vend at a big-box store parking lot instead of downtown?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jonesboro
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