Gallatin Adopts Rules to Become More Food-Truck Friendly
City Council Addresses Permits and Safety Issues Specific to Mobile Restaurants
GALLATIN - The Gallatin City Council has approved updates to ordinances related to mobile food trucks. The changes are intended to give more flexibility and opportunity to operators of mobile food businesses and encourage more food trucks to operate in the city of Gallatin.
“The rules we had in place made it difficult for food trucks to operate in this area,” said Gallatin Mayor Paige Brown. “Hopefully now that we’ve removed some of the barriers, we can jump-start the city’s growing food scene.”
The Gallatin City Council amended the city’s code of ordinances to include specific rules for mobile food vendors including hours of operation, operating requirements, permitting and enforcement.
Gallatin City Amended Ordinance O21Ø7-45 establishes a new permit for food trucks that were once categorized as “transient vendors.” Transient vendors (like a produce stand) typically operate in one location and pay a $50 permit. Since food trucks generally do business in a different location every day, the new $130 permit allows sales across the city for an entire year. The fee will be used to cover the costs of safety inspections of food trucks.
“We already do life-safety inspections for all of the restaurants in town,” said Gallatin’s Deputy Building Official Ben Harris. “Just because a business is on wheels shouldn’t mean they aren’t subject to the same rules. This makes it fair for everyone in this industry.”
A gathering of four or more food trucks is considered a “food-truck rally” and would require an additional $50 permit from the city’s Building Codes Department. A rally permit requires applicants to maintain a litter-free site, coordinate traffic and pedestrian safety, and meet safety standards when utilizing external lighting and electrical equipment.
Applications for a Food Truck Permit are obtained from Gallatin’s Planning Department. Operating without a permit may result in a $500 permit fee for subsequent applications.
John Boone Jr., General Partner of Grillworx Catering and Event Design of Gallatin, addressed the Gallatin City Council as they were drafting the ordinance in August 2021. Boone says food trucks often have to consider the costs of operating in a city when they are choosing a location. “Gallatin is growing and will continue to grow, and there is opportunity here. There’s going to be a need for food trucks. Hopefully the opportunities will continue to open up, that Gallatin and other places in Sumner County will make it viable for food trucks to come and serve the communities without it being something that’s hard.”
Visit the City of Gallatin’s website below for more information on Gallatin’s food truck ordinance or contact the Planning Department at 615-451-5796. https://library.municode.com/tn/gallatin/ordinances/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=1108019
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