Rocklin Municipal Code Ch. 10.34 Mobile Vending

A. "Mobile vending vehicle" means any vehicle as defined in Section 670 of the California Vehicle Code that is equipped and used for retail sales of prepared, prepackaged, or unprepared food or beverages, including but not limited to ice cream trucks, grocery trucks, catering trucks, hot trucks, lunch trucks, wagons, food trailers, or any other mobile food facility from which food, beverages, or merchandise are prepared, cooked, and stored inside the vehicle, which are sold, displayed, solicited, or offered for sale or bartered or exchanged, on any portion of any public street within the city or on private property with permission of the property owner.

B. "Operator" means any person or entity who:

1. Owns, controls, manages, and/or leases a mobile vending vehicle; or

2. Contracts with a person to drive, operate, prepare food and/or vend from a mobile vending vehicle; or

3. Drives, operates, vends and/or prepares food on or from a mobile vending vehicle.

C. "Park" means any public park, recreation facility, or open space owned, operated, or maintained by the city of Rocklin. For purposes of this chapter, the boundary of a park shall be the property line as shown on the official city map or parcel map, or if not clearly delineated, the outermost edge of any improved park facilities including but not limited to parking lots, sidewalks, landscaping, or fencing associated with the park.

D. "School" means any public or private elementary school, middle school, junior high school, or high school.

E. "Event" means any parade, festival, sporting event, farmers market, concert, or other organized gathering conducted by the city or an event organizer that receives permission from the city to have an event on city property through execution of an event agreement with the city or by an applicant who receives permission to hold an event through the city's reservation system.

F. "Event perimeter" means the outer boundary of any area designated for event activities.

G. "Exclusively residentially zoned district" means any area zoned exclusively for residential use under the Rocklin Municipal Code.

H. "Private event" means a gathering on private property that is not open to the general public and where no retail sales to the public occur.

I. "Vend" or "vending" means to sell, offer for sale, display for sale, or solicit orders for any food, beverage, or merchandise from a mobile vending vehicle.

J. "Transient mobile vending" means vending from a mobile vending vehicle that is in motion and traversing neighborhoods with only brief stops not exceeding ten minutes to serve customers who flag down the vehicle, commonly associated with ice cream trucks and similar mobile vendors.

K. "Authorized event vendor" means a mobile vending vehicle that is specifically listed or approved in writing as part of a city-authorized event and operates only within the times, locations, and conditions specified in that authorization.

(Ord. No. 1196, § 2, 1-27-2026)

All mobile vending vehicle operators shall comply with the following requirements:

A. Maintain a valid health permit from the Placer County Health Department and display it conspicuously on the vehicle at all times.

B. Obtain and maintain a valid City of Rocklin business license and display it conspicuously on the vehicle at all times.

C. Comply with all applicable provisions of the California Retail Food Code (California Health and Safety Code Division 104, Part 7, Section 113700 et seq.).

(Ord. No. 1196, § 2, 1-27-2026)

A. Hours of operation.

1. No mobile vending vehicle shall operate between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. in any zone.

2. The city manager or designee may authorize extended hours for events or specific locations in commercial zones based on public safety considerations.

B. Duration limits on public streets.

1. No mobile vending vehicle shall remain at any location on a public street for more than two hours in any four hour period.

2. After the two-hour limit, the mobile vending vehicle must relocate at least five hundred feet from the previous location.

3. No mobile vending vehicle shall return to the same location within a five hundred-foot radius on the same day.

C. Duration limits on private property.

Mobile vending vehicles may operate on private property with written permission from the property owner without time duration limits, provided all other requirements of this chapter are met.

(Ord. No. 1196, § 2, 1-27-2026)

A. Prohibited in exclusively residential zones.

No mobile vending vehicle shall operate or vend in any exclusively residentially zoned district in the city, whether on public streets or private property, except:

1. For private events on private property where no sales to the general public occur;

2. When specifically authorized as part of a city-permitted event; or

3. When providing catering services for a pre-arranged private event with no on-site sales.

B. Distance requirements.

In zones where mobile vending vehicle operation is permitted, no person shall engage in mobile vending:

1. Within two hundred feet of the boundary of any park during park operating hours.

2. Within two hundred feet of the event perimeter during the period beginning two hours before an event's scheduled start time and ending two hours after an event's scheduled end time.

3. Within two hundred feet of any school property during school hours on days when school is in session.

4. Within fifty feet of any:

a. Fire hydrant;

b. Bus stop;

c. Crosswalk;

d. Traffic signal or stop sign; or

e. Driveway (unless with written permission of property owner)

5. Within twenty five feet of any outdoor dining or patio area of an established restaurant during that restaurant's posted hours of operation.

6. Within fifteen feet of any building entrance or emergency exit.

7. Within five hundred feet of a freeway on-ramp or off-ramp.

C. Additional prohibited locations.

No mobile vending vehicle shall vend:

1. On any street where the posted speed limit exceeds thirty five miles per hour.

2. In any location that would require customers to stand in a traffic lane or roadway.

3. On any unpaved surface on public property.

4. In any red, white, yellow, blue, or green curb zone.

5. In any location where stopping, standing, or parking is otherwise prohibited by law or posted sign.

6. On any median strip or traffic island.

7. Within any city parking lot without prior written authorization from the city manager or designee.

D. Exception for authorized event vendors.

Subsections (B)(1) and (B)(2) do not apply to authorized event vendors operating in compliance with the terms of their city authorization.

E. Transient mobile vending in residential zones.

Notwithstanding subsection (A) above, transient mobile vending shall be permitted in exclusively residentially zoned districts on public streets, subject to the following conditions:

1. The mobile vending vehicle must be in motion and actively traversing the neighborhood, stopping only to serve customers who have flagged down the vehicle.

2. No stop shall exceed ten minutes at any single location.

3. The mobile vending vehicle shall not return to the same location (within a five hundred-foot radius) for at least two hours.

4. Service shall be limited to pre-packaged items only (ice cream, frozen novelties, snacks, and beverages). No cooking, heating, or food preparation shall occur on-site.

5. Hours of operation for transient mobile vending in residential zones shall be limited to:

a. 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. from April 1 through September 30

b. 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from October 1 through March 31

6. The operator shall not:

a. Use tables, chairs, signs, or other equipment outside the vehicle

b. Allow customers to congregate in a manner that blocks sidewalks, driveways, or traffic

c. Serve customers from the traffic side of the vehicle

7. Traditional transient mobile vending vehicle chimes may be used in accordance with Section 10.34.060(B) of this chapter.

8. All other provisions of this chapter regarding insurance, licensing, health permits, and manner of operation shall apply.

(Ord. No. 1196, § 2, 1-27-2026)

Distances shall be measured along the curb line or the edge of the traveled roadway from the closest point of the mobile vending vehicle to the closest point of the restricted area boundary.

(Ord. No. 1196, § 2, 1-27-2026)

A. Traffic and pedestrian safety.

1. No mobile vending vehicle shall obstruct vehicle or pedestrian traffic.

2. Operators shall not serve customers from the traffic side of the vehicle.

3. Mobile vending vehicles shall be legally parked adjacent to the curb in compliance with all parking regulations.

4. No tables, chairs, signs, or other equipment may be placed on public property.

5. Operators shall not allow customers to congregate in a manner that blocks sidewalks, driveways, or access to businesses.

B. Noise restrictions.

1. No amplified sound or music shall be used except for traditional transient mobile vending vehicle chimes.

2. Transient mobile vending vehicle chimes, if used, shall be limited to:

a. Volume not exceeding seventy decibels measured at fifty feet from the vehicle.

b. Duration not exceeding ten seconds when stopped.

(Ord. No. 1196, § 2, 1-27-2026)