New city ordinance approved for itinerant vendor licensing
You see them at almost every turn. Food trucks, or mobile vendors, are usually the center of attention at community festivals, and have become permanent fixtures at Iola Avenue and Cedar Street as well as in the 200 block of North Elm Street.
You see them at almost every turn. Food trucks, or mobile vendors, are usually the center of attention at community festivals, and have become permanent fixtures at Iola Avenue and Cedar Street as well as in the 200 block of North Elm Street.
And when the occasion arises that mobile vendors want to operate in Sallisaw for up to two weeks, there’s now a city code that governs licensing for itinerant vendors.
Sallisaw City Commissioners repealed a previous ordinance at their meeting Monday, and approved a new ordinance for when it’s needed.
“This is not a wholesale rewrite, but it’s pretty darn close for our itinerant vendor license,” City Manager Brian Heverly said.
Changes to the ordinance include: • Allows for mobile vendors
• If a business’ clientele are primarily minors, then a background is required
• Sets hours of operation
• Allows for a license to be issued daily, monthly or yearly
• Licenses can be denied if the applicant has a felony conviction
• Provides clarification of special event vendors
• Adds restrictions on food sales from vehicles
“The previous policy, for whatever reason, limited vendors to work two weeks in a 90-day period — they couldn’t work in the city for anymore than two weeks in a 90-day period — and it also didn’t address mobile vendors, i.e., ice cream trucks,” Heverly told the commissioners. “So this now covers all those vendors, puts licensing requirements on them and allows them longer-term licenses, and it’s based on best practices from a lot of different communities.”
With the previous ordinance, itinerant vendors had to apply for a 90-day license with the city, because the repealed ordinance to have provisions for a year-long license, Heverly said. The newly adopted ordinance now provides for a year-long license.
But all mobile vendors are not equal.
“The ones that you see at the food court [such as at Iola Avenue and Cedar Street], we treat those differently,” Heverly explained. “Those are not itinerant vendors. We treat those the same way we do brick and mortar. If they’re hooked up to existing permanent services, they’re not an itinerant vendor.”
Similarly, vendors for special events such as Diamond Daze or Red Autumn Festival are covered under the special event license. “They wouldn’t have to come and get separate licenses themselves,” Heverly said.
The new ordinance went into effect upon its passage Monday.
