Yakima, WA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Residential zones
- Barred except special events
- School buffer
- 300 feet during session
- Business buffer
- 100 feet from entrance
- Vendor density cap
- Two per block frontage
Summary
Yakima confines mobile and street vending to nonresidential zoning districts and keeps carts and food trucks 300 feet from schools during class hours and 100 feet from competing businesses.
No mobile or street vendor shall sell or vend any wares from his vehicle or conveyance within a residential zoning district unless associated with a special event or private catering function... Within three hundred feet of any public or private school grounds during the hours of regular school session, classes, or school related events in the public or private school, except when authorized by the school; or within one hundred feet of the entrance of any business establishment which is open for business offering as a main featured item or items of similar goods for sale.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4980636; v1 updated 2026-08-03; through 08-03-2026).
Full Breakdown
Yakima Municipal Code § 5.57.040 restricts where mobile and street vendors, including food trucks and carts, may sell. Vending in a residential zoning district is barred unless tied to a permitted special event or private catering job. Vendors must also stay 300 feet from any public or private school during school hours (absent school authorization), 100 feet from a business entrance selling similar goods, and 100 feet from an open restaurant or eating establishment, and vendor density is capped at two per linear block frontage.
Violations & Fines
Vending in a residential zone without a special-event tie-in, or inside the 300-foot school buffer or 100-foot competing-business buffer, violates YMC § 5.57.040.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a food truck park in a Yakima residential neighborhood?
How close can a cart set up to a school?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yakima
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