Woodland, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Municipal Code Chapter 5.44, Mobile Vendors
- Vendor spacing
- At least 300 feet apart
- Restaurant buffer
- 200 feet unless affiliated
- Event buffer
- 600 feet from markets, swap meets, events
- Surface rule
- Paved surfaces only, no vacant lots
- Unpermitted fine
- $500 flat administrative fine
Summary
Woodland restricts where motorized food trucks and other mobile vending conveyances may operate. Municipal Code Section 5.44.080 bars vending on vacant or unpaved lots and requires trucks to stay 300 feet from other mobile vendors, 200 feet from brick-and-mortar restaurants unless affiliated, and 600 feet from farmers' markets, swap meets, or permitted special events during their operating hours.
§ 5.44.080. Location and siting requirements. A. Mobile vending is prohibited on properties that are vacant, unimproved, or stand-alone parking lots. A mobile vending conveyance may only be stopped or parked on surfaces paved with concrete, asphalt, or another impervious surface. ... ... F. Vending Prohibited Near Farmers' Markets. Mobile vendors are prohibited within 600 feet of a permitted certified farmers' market during the limited operating hours of that certified farmers' market. ... ... I. Mobile vendors must be located at least 300 feet apart. J. Mobile vendors must be located at least 200 feet from existing brick-and-mortar restaurants, unless the mobile vendor is affiliated with the restaurant.
Full Breakdown
Woodland Municipal Code Section 5.44.080 sets siting rules for mobile vending conveyances under Chapter 5.44 (Mobile Vendors), which covers motorized food trucks and other roaming or stationary vendors separately from the nonmotorized pushcart vendors regulated under Chapter 5.40. A mobile vending conveyance may stop only on a paved surface such as concrete or asphalt, never on vacant, unimproved, or stand-alone parking-lot property, and may not block a fire lane, drive aisle, sidewalk, or landscaped area. Vending is barred outright at gas stations and vehicle service stations.
Spacing rules require mobile vendors to stay at least 300 feet from each other and at least 200 feet from an existing brick-and-mortar restaurant unless the truck is affiliated with that restaurant. Vendors must also stay 600 feet from a permitted certified farmers' market, swap meet, or a City-permitted special event area during that use's operating hours or event duration. Additional buffers under subsection K keep vendors 100 feet from officers or emergency personnel on duty and freeway ramps, 25 feet from intersections, driveways, crosswalks, fire hydrants, and posted no-parking curbs, and 15 feet from an ATM.
Stationary vendors on private property face a separate 13-permit citywide cap and additional siting review under Zoning Ordinance Section 17.84.250, layered on top of these location rules.
Violations & Fines
A mobile vendor with a valid permit gets a code violation notice for a first siting violation, a $250.00 fine for a second, and permit suspension or revocation after an administrative hearing for a third. Vending without any Mobile Vendor Permit draws a flat $500.00 administrative fine, and a property owner who lets an unpermitted vendor operate on private property is separately fined $250.00. Non-compliant conveyances are also declared a public nuisance under Chapter 9.04.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far must a food truck park from a restaurant in Woodland?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Woodland
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