Thornton, CO Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Section 42-803 sets the operating requirements every mobile food truck must follow. Trucks may vend only on collector and local streets in areas where on-street parking is permitted, and only in a manner that does not impede traffic flow; they must park entirely on paved or all-weather surfaces and cannot block sidewalks, alleys, driveways, emergency access, or ADA routes. m. Trucks must stay at least 150 feet from any open restaurant, measured from the restaurant's public entrance to the closest point of the truck, unless every restaurant inside that 150-foot setback consents in writing.

Vending in a city park, open space, or other city property requires the written approval of the city manager or a designee, and vending on land controlled by another government or on private property requires that owner's or entity's permission. Every operator must also hold a sales and use tax business license from the city treasurer, pass a Thornton Fire Department inspection, and hold a retail food license from the local health department; alcohol sales are prohibited, and trash and recyclables must be stored in marked receptacles and emptied daily.