Milpitas, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Under Table B.4.020-A, mobile food vending by a single vehicle carries a 'P' (permitted) designation across the R1, R2, R3, R4, and MHP zones, cross-referenced to § XIII-C.10.170. Table Note 1 narrows that considerably: in R1, R2, and R3 zones, mobile food vending in the public right-of-way is allowed only as part of an approved special event under § C.10.230, and it is not allowed on private property with a residential use in those zones at all. In the R4 zone, right-of-way vending is allowed once all required City and County permits are issued under § C.10.170, and it can also run as part of an approved special event on residential private property.

Across all residential zones, mobile food vending is allowed on private parcels that hold a current certificate of use and occupancy as a library, museum, hospital, educational institution, or community assembly use, capped at once a week and no more than three consecutive days. In the commercial zones (Table B.6.020-A), a single mobile food vehicle is 'P' (permitted) outright in the CO, C1, C2, and HS zones, while a mobile food park, several vehicles operating together, needs a Minor Conditional Use Permit ('MCS') in every one of those same four zones.

So the practical rule is: commercial and industrial land welcomes a single truck by right, while residential land only opens up for special events, a handful of institutional exceptions, or, in R4, full permitting.