Fillmore council unanimously adopts ordinance allowing sidewalk vendors to operate without city permit

The Fillmore City Council on May 12 unanimously adopted Ordinance No. 26-996 to amend Fillmore Municipal Code chapter 7.12 so sidewalk vendors may operate without obtaining a city permit.

Staff said the change is a cleanup to align local rules with a state law that limits what cities can require of sidewalk vendors on permit applications. "The state law changed effective this year, to limit what cities and counties can require on permit applications from sidewalk vendors to help protect their, their homes and their their personhood," a staff presenter said, explaining the code revisions remove obsolete application requirements, appeals language and penalties no longer allowed by state law.

Mayor Albert Mendez and council members clarified the action did not remove county health oversight for food vendors. "So this is not gonna affect if they needed a health permit or anything. They still gotta go to the county and get a health permit," the mayor said during discussion.

The ordinance was read into the record and adopted by motion and second. Council members voted "aye," and the motion passed unanimously.

Why it matters: The amendment removes a local permitting barrier for sidewalk vendors and updates Fillmore’s municipal code to reflect state-level changes while leaving public-health authority with the county.

What’s next: The ordinance adoption updates the code; staff will implement the changes and continue to coordinate with the county on health-permit processes.