Fremont, CA Outdoor Cooking: BBQ & Propane Rules (2026)

35's mobile vendor standards, treats grills and propane very differently depending on the type of mobile food operation. Subsection (c) flatly prohibits generators or BBQ grills on mobile vending carts, the smaller nonmotorized pushcarts covered by Article II. Vehicle- and trailer-mounted operations get more latitude but under strict conditions: subsection (d) requires any generator to run on propane only, caps propane storage at two five-gallon containers per vehicle or trailer while on a public right-of-way, and bars placing either the generator or the propane containers directly on the ground.

Subsection (e) requires any BBQ grill used on a mobile vending vehicle or trailer to be enclosed and permanently built into the structure of the trailer or vehicle itself, rather than sitting as loose equipment, and to comply with all California Vehicle Code requirements governing what may be mounted or carried on a road-going vehicle. The same section separately requires a current 2A:20BC fire extinguisher on every cart, trailer, or vehicle, plus a five-pound Class K extinguisher if the vendor uses a solid-fuel or deep-fat-frying appliance, and mandates that any fixed extinguishing system be inspected and tagged under the California Mechanical and Fire Codes. Support equipment, including the generator and propane tanks, cannot extend more than four feet from the cart, trailer, or vehicle in any direction.