Muncie, IN Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

The City of Muncie treats mobile food vendors as a right-of-way use item under two chapters read together. Section 96.44(A)(5) exempts mobile food-service establishments from the general right-of-way occupancy permit that other sidewalk uses, like outdoor dining furniture or sandwich-board signage, must obtain from the building department under §§ 96.44-96.49. That exemption is conditioned: a mobile food-service establishment cannot be located so as to impede ADA or public-safety compliance, and it cannot sit within 30 feet of a permitted outdoor dining, drinking, or entertainment minor encumbrance unless a special event permit issued under § 96.42 specifically allows it.

Separately, § 113.04(B) imposes a spacing rule aimed at competition and congestion: any mobile or temporary food-service establishment using the public right-of-way must stay at least 150 feet from the property line of any other food-service establishment, applying to any vendor required to hold a food permit under Chapter 113. That 150-foot buffer lifts entirely during festivals and carnivals in the right-of-way, when trucks may cluster together. Muncie's health officer administers the underlying food-service permit and license required by §§ 113.02-113.03, while the board of public works and safety and the building department administer the broader right-of-way occupancy program under Chapter 96.