Pontiac, MI Special Events & Permits: Parklets (2026)

Section 2.550.1 of the Pontiac Zoning Ordinance creates a distinct use, the mobile food parklet, defined as a permanent built facility where one or more mobile food vendors can be stationed even though the trucks themselves are temporary. Subsection G limits where a parklet may go: it is only permitted in the Mobile Food Parklet Overlay District, so a property outside that overlay cannot establish one regardless of its underlying zoning. Subsection C sets the physical standards: curbing must separate vendors from vehicles, parking must provide at least four spaces plus two additional spaces for each mobile food vendor on site, and outdoor seating facing a residential district must sit back at least 40 feet with an eight-foot solid screening wall.

Every parklet needs permanent restrooms meeting the Michigan Plumbing Code, individual electrical and water hookups at each vendor pad, and a ban on portable generators. Subsection C.2 requires a parklet to sit at least 150 feet from any brick-and-mortar restaurant. Hours are capped at 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., except in the C-2 zoning district, where a parklet may run from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. Outdoor speakers or live entertainment are allowed only from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and are capped at 65 decibels at nonresidential property lines and 25 decibels at residential lines.

Beyond the zoning approval, subsection D requires every vendor operating from the parklet to hold an annual City of Pontiac mobile food truck license under Chapter 26, Article XIXa of the Municipal Code and pass fire and health inspections, and subsection E lets staff approve the parklet administratively with a sketch plan under Table 17 of Section 6.208.