Los Angeles, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- LAMC § 80.73(a).2.A
- Intersection buffer
- 100 feet
- Named park / freeway-ramp buffer
- 200 feet
- School property-line buffer
- 500 feet
- Conflict rule
- Greater legal distance always controls
Summary
LAMC § 80.73(a).2.A bars catering trucks from dispensing food within 100 feet of any intersection, within 200 feet of a short list of named city parks and any freeway on- or off-ramp, and within 500 feet of any school property line: a citywide distance map that determines exactly where mobile food vending is off-limits.
The dispensing of victuals shall be permitted on any street except at or from:... (3) Any location within 100 feet of the nearest part of: (i) any intersection... (4) Any location within 200 feet of: (i) Balboa Park, Banning Park, Robert Burns Park, MacArthur Park, the following portions of Griffith Park: Riverside Drive between the Glendale Boulevard off-ramp and Los Feliz Boulevard, between the Los Angeles River and the City limits (Betty Davis Picnic Area); and Ferndell Drive between Los Feliz Boulevard and Red Oak Drive. (ii) The roadway of any freeway on-ramp or off-ramp. (5) Any location within 500 feet of the nearest property line of any school. In the event of a conflict between any of the above specified distances and a greater distance otherwise required by law, said greater distance shall prevail and be controlling.
Full Breakdown
73 states that where a stricter distance is required elsewhere by law, the greater distance controls. The named 200-foot buffer zones are specific: Balboa Park, Banning Park, Robert Burns Park, MacArthur Park, and two named Griffith Park segments. Riverside Drive between the Glendale Boulevard off-ramp and Los Feliz Boulevard along the Betty Davis Picnic Area, and Ferndell Drive between Los Feliz Boulevard and Red Oak Drive. Separately, subsection B requires that a catering truck may not stop, stand, or park anywhere the State Vehicle Code or the Municipal Code's own health, safety, fire, traffic, or business regulations otherwise prohibit standing or parking, meaning posted no-stopping zones and curb markings layer on top of the fixed distance buffers.
Together these rules replace the older location table (former paragraph (2), deleted by Ord. No. 174,284 in 2001) with the current 100/200/500-foot scheme, which the City has kept unchanged since Ordinance No. 173,264 took effect June 26, 2000.
Violations & Fines
Dispensing victuals from a catering truck inside a prohibited buffer zone is a general infraction of Section 80.73, punished under subsection (f) with a fine of $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second, and $250 for each subsequent violation within one year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How close to a school can a food truck vend in Los Angeles?
Can a food truck park right at a street corner?
Are all city parks off-limits to food trucks?
What if the truck is legally parked but inside a buffer zone?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Los Angeles
California rules heatmap·Compare Los Angeles to another location·View the California food trucks & mobile vendors overview
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Vending Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle vending zones.