City of Long Beach Adopts New Mobile Food Facility Ordinance Modernizing Food Truck Regulations

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PRESS RELEASE

Long Beach, CA - During its May 5, 2026, meeting, the Long Beach City Council voted 7 to 0 to adopt a comprehensive Mobile Food Facility (MFF) Ordinance, establishing a modernized regulatory framework for food trucks and other mobile food facility operations citywide.

The new ordinance, which will take effect in approximately 30 days, consolidates outdated and inconsistent regulations into a single, streamlined section of the Long Beach Municipal Code, creating clear standards for operators of mobile food facilities while supporting public health, safety and neighborhood quality of life. In addition to clarifying standards, the ordinance is also expanding opportunities for mobile entrepreneurs.

"As Long Beach continues to grow, it's essential that our policies support entrepreneurship while ensuring safe, well-managed public spaces," said Mayor Rex Richardson. "This ordinance provides a balanced approach that expands opportunities for food truck operators and strengthens protections for residents, businesses and visitors."

The ordinance is the culmination of several years of research, community engagement and interdepartmental coordination, including a 2021 study of existing regulations, extensive outreach with operators and brick and mortar businesses, and multiple rounds of public meetings and feedback. This ordinance does not apply to sidewalk vendors, which are governed under separate regulations.

To operate legally in Long Beach, all Mobile Food Facility operators must meet updated licensing, permitting, and operating standards designed to support safe, orderly and well-managed mobile food facility activity citywide. Additionally, operators must comply with all applicable State Health and Safety Code requirements, the California Vehicle Code, ADA standards and relevant sections of the Long Beach Municipal Code. Operators will also have additional parking benefits as well as expanded areas of opportunity such as processes for operating on private property.

A noncomprehensive overview of the new ordinance is below:

Licensing, Permitting and Fees

• City of Long Beach Business License
• City of Long Beach Health Permit (Los Angeles County permits will no longer be accepted)
• Required insurance, including commercial general liability, auto liability and workers' compensation

General Operating Requirements

• Lighting: Limited to what is necessary for food preparation and shielded, downward facing customer lighting for safety; no red or blue flashing signs.
• Setup: No tables, chairs, umbrellas or canopies in the public right-of-way unless permitted through a special event permit; no hanging or affixing any items to above ground structures and other fixtures as listed in the ordinance; no use of City owned electrical outlet or power source without written authorization.
• Noise: No amplified or nonamplified sound devices; ice cream trucks may use sound only while in motion.
• Customer Management: Queuing may not obstruct sidewalks or ADA access; food may not be handed to customers standing in the street unless in angled parking with required safety buffers.
• Sales Restrictions: No renting merchandise to customers; no vending of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, firearms or other age-restricted items; merchandise limited to small promotional items secondary to food sales.
• Cleanliness: Operators must clean within a 50-foot radius; may not use City trash bins and may not dump grease, wastewater, ice or food debris into streets, gutters or storm drains. Operators are responsible for cleaning any grease spills or stains resulting from their operations.

Operating in the Public Right-of-way and Park Parking Lots

• Parking Benefit: Operators in good standing may extend metered parking time limits up to twice the posted duration (four-hour cap citywide), or up to 8 hours in the Downtown Dining and Entertainment District; may occupy up to two on-street parking spaces with all fees paid.

• Allowable Locations:
• • Public streets that meet ordinance definitions
  • Available parking spots in the Shoreline Aquatic Park Surface Lot
  • Designated stalls at participating parks through the Park Parking Lot Pilot Program, as designated by the Director of Parks, Recreation and Marine - currently slated to include Chavez Park, Hudson Park, Cherry Park, Davenport Park, Recreation Park, El Dorado Park East (Area 2), Scherer Park, Houghton Park and up to two stalls at Granada Beach limited to 1 hour (pending Coastal Commission approval)
  • Dedicated parking established for Mobile Food Facilities on Ocean Boulevard by Lincoln Park
  • Operators may not vend within 500 feet of concessionaires with exclusive agreements
  • For permitted swap meets, certified farmers' markets, and other temporary special events where the operator is not contracted to vend, Mobile Food Facility operators may not operate within 250 to500 feet of the event, depending on event size and access needs

• Operating Hours:
• • Nonresidential/mixed use areas: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Downtown Dining & Entertainment District: 7 a.m. to11:30 p.m.
  • Residential areas: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
  • Park Parking Lot Pilot: During park hours, not later than 10 p.m.
  • School areas: No vending within one block, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

Safety Standards

To protect visibility, traffic flow, and emergency access, the ordinance includes distance requirements such as:

• Minimum 5-foot pedestrian path of travel (8 feet in high volume zones)
• No vending within:
  • Any location that obstructs traffic signals or regulatory signs
  • Vehicle Height Restricted Areas, which have been so posted with signs if the vehicle exceeds the designated height limit
  • A marked bus zone/stop and Metro stop
  • 15 feet of fire hydrants or fire lanes
  • 20 feet of driveways, intersections, marked crosswalk, curb cutout/ADA curb ramp
  • 50 feet of railroad crossings
  • 100 feet of vehicle entrances of fire stations, police stations, hospitals or lifeguard facilities
  • 25 feet of any beach access point or pier

Mobile Food Facilities on Private Property

• Longterm operations require an Administrative Land Use Review (ALUR) permit.
• Operators seeking extended hours beyond 7 a.m.-10 p.m. may apply for an Administrative Use Permit (AUP), which includes public noticing and a Zoning Administrator hearing.
• Short-term activations may be permitted through a Mobile Food Facility Event (up to three consecutive days, with at least 15 days between events).

Enforcement
In the weeks leading up to the ordinance's effective date, staff will expand outreach to mobile food facility operators, share multilingual materials and update the City's Mobile Food Facilities webpage with clear guidance on permitting and operating requirements.

Once the ordinance takes effect, the City will shift to a combined education and enforcement model. Operators will continue to receive support and information, and the City will also begin addressing and enforcing violations to ensure consistent application of the rules. Enforcement will be carried out by multiple Departments' operations, including Business Services, Environmental Health, Planning, Public Works and the Police Department, each applying to their respective authorities as applicable to maintain safety and compliance.

The ordinance also introduces a cost recovery tool that allows the City to recoup staff time and resources when repeated noncompliance requires ongoing inspections or investigations. This provision is intended to promote fairness for operators who follow the rules and discourage ongoing violations that negatively impact the community.

Background and Outreach
The Mobile Food Facility Ordinance reflects several years of research, community engagement and interdepartmental coordination. The City began evaluating food truck regulations in 2021, when an audit by Lisa Wise Consulting identified inconsistencies in the municipal code and recommended consolidating, clarifying and modernizing the rules.

Building on that work, the City conducted extensive outreach with food truck operators, brick-and-mortar businesses, neighborhood groups and residents. This included a citywide survey that received more than 2,000 responses, multiple focus groups, a virtual town hall, a health permit workshop and two public meetings to review early concepts and gather feedback.

In late 2025, the City released the draft ordinance and hosted both a virtual informational meeting and an in-person operator fair at the Billie Jean King Main Library. A digital feedback form remained open for a few months, generating comments from all nine Council districts.

The ordinance adopted by the City Council incorporates this extensive community input, along with direction provided during Council discussions in September 2025 and March 2026. It represents a comprehensive, modernized framework designed to support entrepreneurship, protect public health and safety and ensure food truck operations are well managed across Long Beach.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, the award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

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