Kennewick, WA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Food truck zones
- CO, CBD, CC, CAR, CG, CM, CR, UMU, BP, IL, IH, OS, PF
- Cart-only extra zone
- CN, Commercial Neighborhood, added for carts
- Residential zones
- Not permitted in any R district
- Food truck standing time
- 1 hour per public-way location
- Cart standing time
- 8 hours per public-way location
- Governing section
- KMC 18.12.250(5)(a), (6)(b)
Summary
Kennewick limits vehicle-based food trucks to 13 named commercial and industrial zoning districts under KMC 18.12.250(5)(a): CO, CBD, CC, CAR, CG, CM, CR, UMU, BP, IL, IH, OS, and PF. Cart businesses get one more under KMC 18.12.250(6)(b), adding the CN neighborhood commercial district to that same list. Neither use is allowed in a residential (R) zoning district.
(5)Vehicle based food businesses:(a)Allowed in CO, CBD, CC, CAR, CG, CM, CR, UMU, BP, IL, IH, OS, and PF zoning districts; ... (6)Cart businesses:(a)The cart must be stored indoors or off-site when not open for business;(b)Allowed in CN, CO, CBD, CC, CAR, CG, CM, CR, UMU, BP, IL, IH, OS, and PF zoning districts;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 19 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
010, that reads as Commercial Office, Commercial Central Business District, Commercial Community, Commercial Auto Row, Commercial General, Commercial Marina, Commercial Regional, Urban Mixed-Use, Business Park, Industrial Light, Industrial Heavy, Open Space, and Public Facility, covering essentially every non-residential zone except Industrial Park (IP), Justice Facility (JF), and Parking (P). 250(6)(b): "Allowed in CN, CO, CBD, CC, CAR, CG, CM, CR, UMU, BP, IL, IH, OS, and PF zoning districts," adding CN, Commercial Neighborhood, which the truck-specific rule in (5)(a) leaves out. Neither list includes any residential zone (RS, RL, RM, RH, RMH, or RTP), so a food truck or cart cannot lawfully set up in a Kennewick residential district under this section regardless of the property owner's consent. 250(1), including a City business license and site plan.
Violations & Fines
Setting up a food truck or cart in a zoning district outside the KMC 18.12.250(5)(a) or (6)(b) lists, including any residential zone, is a Title 18 zoning violation. Vehicle-based food businesses face immediate business license revocation for violating the section's conditions under KMC 18.12.250(5)(p), and any Title 18 violation is separately punishable as a misdemeanor under KMC 18.54.090.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Kennewick zoning districts allow a food truck?
Can a food cart operate somewhere a food truck can't in Kennewick?
How long can a food truck or cart stay parked in one spot in Kennewick?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kennewick
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