Lynnwood, WA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Mobile food vendor permit, all locations
- Site-specific permit trigger
- Over 90 days/year on one site
- Right-of-way vending
- Requires separate city approval
- Review track
- Type 1a, LMC § 8.90.0330
- Wastewater rule
- Grease trap + Snohomish Co. health agreement
- Food carts/tables
- Barred except at special events
Summary
Lynnwood requires a mobile food vendor permit before a food truck sells anywhere in the city, with a separate site-specific permit once a truck stays on one property more than 90 days a year. Vending in public streets and rights-of-way needs city approval, and trucks cannot block sidewalks, fire lanes or any traveled roadway.
A. Mobile Food Vendors.
1. Mobile food vendors are required to obtain a mobile food vendor permit subject to the following exemptions and requirements:
a. Exemptions. The following identified activities are exempt from the mobile food vendor permit requirement: ... c. Streets and Rights-of-Way. Mobile food vending on public streets and public rights-of-way within Lynnwood requires city approval.
i. A mobile food vendor must not obstruct or cause to be obstructed the passage of any pedestrian or vehicle on any public sidewalk, street, fire lane, or any other public right-of-way, including obstructions caused by customer queues or customers consuming any food sold by the mobile food vendor at or near the place where the items are being offered for sale. No items may be offered or sold, and no customers served in any traveled portion of a public roadway. ... d. Site-Specific Permit. For mobile food vendors that operate on a site for more than 90 days in a calendar year, a site-specific mobile food vendor permit is required.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3512, passed May 26, 2026).
Full Breakdown
30 LMC. Vending on public streets and rights-of-way requires separate city approval, and a vendor cannot obstruct pedestrian or vehicle passage on any sidewalk, street, fire lane or right-of-way, including obstructions created by customer queues; no sales or service are allowed in any traveled portion of a roadway. Vendors using an external propane tank, external power connections or tent structures face additional administrator review, and every unit must carry a grease trap that is properly maintained, with wastewater disposed under an agreement with the Snohomish County health department.
A general mobile food vendor permit covers a business citywide, but a vendor that operates on one site for more than 90 days in a calendar year must obtain a site-specific permit requiring a site plan showing setbacks, parking and vending unit locations, plus the property owner's written authorization. 090. Food carts and tables, as distinct from motorized food trucks, are barred entirely unless the vendor is part of a city-approved special event.
Violations & Fines
Vending without the required mobile food vendor permit, operating past 90 days on one site without the required site-specific permit, or obstructing a sidewalk, fire lane or traveled roadway violates LMC § 8.35.0335(A) and is enforced through the city's Type 1a permit compliance process; the property owner shares responsibility for a vendor's compliance while operating on their land.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a food truck park anywhere in Lynnwood with just a business license?
When does a food truck need a site-specific permit instead of a general permit?
Are lemonade stands and charity food sales exempt?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lynnwood
Compare Lynnwood to another location·View the Washington food trucks & mobile vendors overview
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Vending Zones in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Snohomish County handle vending zones.