North Ridgeville committee reviews new mobile food vehicle ordinance proposing annual permits, location limits and safety rules

City staff presented Ordinance 2026-27 to the Committee of the Whole on April 13, proposing to replace the city's current mobile food vending chapter with a new Chapter 5857 titled "mobile food vehicles." The ordinance would shift the city from short-term 48-hour registrations to an annual fire-department permit, introduce clearer definitions, and create operational standards intended to reduce safety and zoning conflicts.

The administration told the committee the existing code, adopted about a decade ago, does not reflect how mobile food operations function today and lacks clear enforcement tools. "Our definitions are unclear," a staff presenter said, noting the code currently treats tents, stands and vehicles the same and gives limited time for fire inspections under the 48-hour window. The proposed annual permit would include an annual inspection at a fire station and an appeal process; staff also proposed a $100 application fee to offset inspection and administrative review.

Under the ordinance text presented, trucks operating on private property would be required to have property owner approval and to operate on paved surfaces. Operations in the public right-of-way would be prohibited except as part of an approved special event. Duration limits in the proposal would cap operation at a single location to 60 days per year and no more than five consecutive days to prevent temporary operations from functioning as permanent businesses. Regular hours of operation would be 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., with limited flexibility for restaurants that contract on-site mobile food vehicles.

Temporary food-service tents would be prohibited except at approved special events, which staff said would be limited to four days per event and a maximum of eight events per year. Staff also said certain cooking equipment that produces grease would be restricted for safety reasons.

Fire Chief John Reese told the committee his "major concern was the food trucks parked on the streets," saying trucks sometimes appear without notice and park on busy streets, creating pedestrian-safety and emergency-access problems. "We have no way of regulating that," he said, and added that the proposed rules would give the city more guidance.

The administration emphasized the ordinance is intended to modernize the code and provide predictable rules rather than eliminate food trucks, and said staff would work with existing operators to bring noncompliant situations into compliance. The committee opened a public comment period but no members of the public addressed the ordinance during the meeting.

The transcript records committee discussion and questions from council members about the scope of exemptions for on-site restaurant operations and whether bars are included; staff said bars and restaurants share an A2 assembly classification and that the proposed hours limits would generally apply. The committee concluded discussion of Ordinance 2026-27 in this meeting; no formal adoption vote on the ordinance is recorded in the transcript.

Next steps were not recorded in the provided transcript excerpt. The ordinance was formally read into the record as "Ordinance 2026-27," and staff said the proposal is intended to balance safety, enforceability, and opportunities for mobile food businesses to operate in North Ridgeville.