Spokane eliminates food-truck license C36863

Food trucks are one of those businesses cities say they want — lively, low-overhead, good for events, good for empty corners. But Spokane had built a separate licensing law was too much. It passed Ordinance C36863 and removed the annual mobile food-vendor license requirement, while also rewriting where and how trucks can operate. ### What actually changed? The cleanest version is this: Spokane got rid of the food-truck-specific annual licensing regulatory license. The ordinance also updates zoning and street-use rules, so this was not just a fee cut — it was a broader rewrite of the city’s mobile-vending code. ### Why was the old setup a problem? Because food trucks were already regulated by other agencies and other city rules. A vendor still needs the normal food-safety permit no matter how long a truck will sit. The city’s separate annual license looked increasingly like duplicate paperwork — one more step, one more delay, one more cost. ### How big was the council vote? It passed 5-1 on Monday night. Councilmember Michael Cathcart voted no, and Councilmember Zack Zappone said it would allow all operators to do business. ### Is this just about downtown food trucks? Not really. Downtown activation is part of the pitch, but the ordinance reaches wider than that. The council docket shows C36863 repeals Chapter 10.51 and one zoning section, then amends business-license, park, street, and zoning, bringing it into the city’s general rules for business activity and use of space. ### What rules still stay in place? The health-and-safety side does not disappear. Vendors still need to meet state food-safety rules. It is “stop making trucks clear the same hurdle twice.” ### Why does repealing Chapter 10.51 matter? Because that chapter was the old dedicated mobile-food-vendor code. Repealing it is a signal that Spokane is changing the structure, not just trimming one line item. Think of it less like waiving a yearly sticker and more like removing a separate lane at the DMV that only food trucks had to stand in. Same destination — fewer redundant stops. ### What happens next? The ordinance takes effect 30 days after Mayor Lisa Brown signs it, and local coverage said that signature was expected within days. So the practical impact could show up pretty quickly, especially as Spokane heads into the warmer event season when trucks rotate through parks, private lots, and downtown gatherings. ### Bottom line This is small-business policy in a very literal form. Spokane did not deregulate food safety. It stripped out a city-specific license that looked redundant and replaced a special-case system with a more standard one. If that works the way supporters hope, operators spend less time on paperwork and more time actually serving food.