ORDINANCE NO.
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF SANTA MARIA, CALIFORNIA
REPEALING AND REPLACING CHAPTER 7-5.04
OF THE SANTA MARIA MUNICIPAL CODE
CONCERNING CATERING VEHICLES
WHEREAS, the City of Santa Maria (the “City”) regulates the operation of catering vehicles within its boundaries pursuant to Chapter 7-5.04 of the Santa Maria Municipal Code; and
WHEREAS, the existing catering vehicle regulations were last substantively amended in 2008 and do not adequately reflect the operational realities, scale, and diversity of today’s mobile food industry; and
WHEREAS, the City undertook a public outreach effort engaging food truck operators, brick-and-mortar business owners, and other community stakeholders to identify shortcomings in the existing code and develop updated regulations that are fair, clear, and consistently enforceable; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that a complete replacement of Chapter 7 -5.04 is necessary to provide a modern, balanced regulatory framework that supports the growth of mobile food businesses, protects established brick -and-mortar establishments, and safeguards the public health, safety, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that the proposed regulations reflect a measured approach that balances the needs of the business community with the concerns of residents and neighboring property owners, and advances the City’s commitment to a business - friendly environment.
NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY ORDAINED by the City Council of the City of Santa Maria, State of California, as follows:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 7-5.04 of the Santa Maria Municipal Code is hereby repealed in its entirety and replaced with the following:
CHAPTER 7-5.04 CATERING VEHICLES
Section 7-5.04. Catering vehicles.
(a) Regulation of Catering Vehicles. It is unlawful to sell, display, disperse, or permit or authorize the sale, display or dispersal of any food, beverage or other product from a catering vehicle (as
defined in this title), parked on Public or Private Pro perty, unless all of the following requirements are met:
1. The vendor shall not be located within 300 feet of another catering vehicle or a brick-and-mortar restaurant.
2. The vendor shall not create unsafe site conditions, including, but not limited to: impedi ng vehicle circulation, obstructing view of pedestrians by motorists, restricting ingress and egress from the adjoining property, nor restricting accessibility routes.
3. The vendor shall keep their area (within 100 feet) clean at all times by providing a visible trash receptacle for customer use, regularly collecting all trash and debris generated by the catering vehicle operation, and removing such trash and debris from the site upon departure. Disposal of vendor-generated waste in public trash receptacles is prohibited.
4. The vendor shall not connect to or use any City utility services, including water or electricity.
Any such use is prohibited unless expressly authorized in writing by the City.
5. No tables, chairs, fences, shade structures, other site furniture, or freestanding signs shall be permitted in conjunction with catering vehicle activities.
6. All signage and advertising related to the catering business shall comply with the City’s sign laws.
7. No person shall use, play or employ any sound, outcry, amplifie r, loudspeaker or any other instrument or device for production of sound from a catering vehicle in such a manner as to create a disturbance of peace. The Noise Control Officer may set reasonable restrictions on the type and use of amplifier, loudspeaker, or any other instrument or device for production of sound employed with a catering vehicle operation in order to prevent a disturbance of peace as that term is used in Title 5 of the City Code, except in compliance with all other applicable provisions of this article.
(b) Regulation of Catering Vehicles on Public Property. In order to prevent traffic conflicts and hazards, minimize congestion, and protect the public health, safety and welfare, it is necessary to regulate vending from catering vehicles (as defined in this title), parked on any public street, City park, City parking lot, sidewalk, square or parkway in the City:
1. It is unlawful for any person to sell, display or disperse, or permit or authorize the sale, display or dispersal of any food, beverage or other product from a catering vehicle within 500 feet of any public or private school or daycare center.
2. The vendor shall not be located directly in front of a residence for a period of longer than thirty (30) minutes, unless the vendor is providing catering services for a single-day special event (e.g. birthday party) and possesses written permission from the property owner.
3. The parking period in one location shall be between the hours of seven (7:00) a.m. and nine (9:00) p.m.
4. No catering vehicle may park on Public Property overnight.
5. Catering vehicles parked on public streets or rights-of-way within 200 feet of the boundary of a City park shall be subject to Recreation and Parks Department permitting requirements and rules.
(c) Regulation of Catering Vehicles on Private Property. It is unlawful to sell, display, disperse, or permit or authorize the sale, display or dispersal of any food, beverage or other product from a catering vehicle (as defined in this title), parked on Private Property, unless all of the following requirements are met:
1. The vendor has first obtained the written consent of the property owner and all tenants.
2. The parking period shall be between the hours of seven (7:00) a.m. and eleven (11:00) p.m.
Compliance with this section shall not excuse compliance with any and all other applicable provisions of this Code, including, but not limited to, laws relating to licensing, permits and zoning. Violation of this section is punishable as a misdemeanor.
SECTION 2.
This Ordinance has been reviewed for compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the CEQA Guidelines, and has been found to be exempt pursuant to Section 15060(c)(3) of the State Guidelines because the activity is not a “Pr oject” as defined under Section 15378 of the CEQA State Guidelines and therefore no environmental review is required.
SECTION 3.
If any part or provision of this Ordinance, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the remainder of the Ordinance, including the application of such part or provision to other persons or circumstances, shall not be affected thereby and shall continue in full force and effect. To this end, the provisions of this Ordinance are severable.
SECTION 4.
This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect thirty (30) days after its adoption. Within fifteen (15) days following its passage, the City Clerk shall cause this Ordinance to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in accordance with State Law; or when deemed necessary due to the length or complexity of the Ordinance, cause a summary of the Ordinance to be prepared and published at least five (5) days prior to the City Council meeting at which the proposed Ordinance is to be adopted.
If a summary is published at least five days prior to the City Council meeting at which the proposed Ordinance is to be adopted, then within fifteen (15) days after adoption of the Ordinance the City Clerk shall publish a summary of the Ordinance with the names of those City Council Members voting for and against the Ordinance and shall post a certified copy of the full text of such adopted Ordinance along with the names of those City Council Members voting for and against the Ordinance.
SECTION 5.
The Chief Deputy City Clerk is hereby authorized to make minor changes herein to address clerical errors, so long as substantial conformance of the intent of this document is maintained. In doing so, the Chief Deputy City Clerk shall consult with the City Manager and Ci ty Attorney concerning any changes deemed necessary.
INTRODUCED at a regular meeting of the City Council held this 16th day of June 2026, and adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council held this ____ day of ____ 2026, by the following roll call vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAINED:
_________________________________
Mayor
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_________________________________ _________________________________ Chief Deputy City Clerk City Attorney
APPROVED AS TO CONTENT:
_________________________________
Department Director
_________________________________
City Manager