Merced, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Fixed location trigger
- Parked over 1 hour on one parcel
- Permit needed
- Site plan review or CUP
- Trucks per developed site
- 1, unless CUP for truck park
- Operating hours
- 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily
- Signage
- No A-frames, banners, or flags
Summary
A food truck that parks on the same parcel for more than an hour a day is no longer a roaming sidewalk vendor under Merced's rules; it becomes a fixed-location use restricted to specific zoning districts and requires a site plan review or conditional use permit under Municipal Code Sec. 20.44.020.
A.Location. Food trucks (or "mobile food vendors") that park in fixed locations, instead of being "street and sidewalk vendors" as defined in Chapter 5.54 (Street and Sidewalk Vendors), are only permitted in zoning districts as shown in the land use regulation tables in Part 2 (Zoning Districts) and planned developments with those same designations. A "fixed location" is considered to be parked on any one (1) parcel for more than one (1) hour a day.B.Permits Required. A site plan review permit or conditional use permit is required for all food trucks that park in a fixed location as shown in the land use regulation tables in Part 2 (Zoning Districts) or in planned developments with a conditional use permit. Such permits are required for each location if there are multiple locations.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 85 - 1-26).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 54. A location counts as fixed once a truck is parked on one parcel for more than one hour a day. Fixed-location food trucks are only allowed in the zoning districts listed in the Part 2 land use regulation tables and in planned developments carrying the same designation, and each site needs its own site plan review permit or conditional use permit, with a separate permit required for every additional location. Only one food truck is allowed per developed site, and none may operate on vacant parcels without another permitted use already on site, unless a conditional use permit establishes a dedicated food truck parking area for multiple trucks.
daily unless a site plan or conditional use permit sets different hours. 38 without displacing spaces needed for other uses, and cannot block driveways or aisles. Operators must keep the site free of trash, provide refuse containers for patrons, and limit signage to the truck itself, since A-frame signs, banners, flags, or moving signs are banned. Trucks must also hold city business licenses and comply with Merced County Health Department requirements, including an approved commissary and employee restrooms; portable toilets are not allowed.
Violations & Fines
Operating a food truck at a fixed location without the required site plan review or conditional use permit violates Sec. 20.44.020(B). Zoning violations citywide are enforced under the procedures the zoning ordinance adopts from Merced Municipal Code Title 1 general provisions and other available state or local remedies (Sec. 20.02.050(F)), which can include code enforcement citation, permit denial, or removal of the noncompliant use until the required permit is obtained.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a food truck park at the same Merced business every day?
What hours can a fixed-location food truck operate in Merced?
How many food trucks can park at one Merced business?
Do Merced food trucks need county health approval too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Merced
California rules heatmap·Compare Merced to another location·View the California food trucks & mobile vendors overview
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