The North Royalton City Council adopted legislation regulating food trucks at their April 6 meeting. The issue has been discussed in the Building and Building Codes Committee since last spring and has been on their agenda until the last meeting, which took place on March 16.
Owners of the Blue Monkey Brewery and 3 Spot have addressed Council during the discussions, speaking to both sides of the issue. On one hand, the owner from the Blue Monkey would like to see food trucks allowed, in order to subsidize his business. The owner of the 3 Spot also addressed Council, stating that the bars and restaurants in the City have made the investment in order to offer food to their patrons. Other North Royalton businesses also weighed in.
Up until this point, food trucks are allowed in the city through the use of special event permits, according to Community Development Director, Tom Jordan. He said that typically, food trucks may come to construction sites, which are unregulated. In North Royalton, food trucks are required to get a special event permit and it is typically done during the city’s annual community festival.
The ordinance amends the City’s Codified Ordinances, Part Eight Business Regulation and Taxation Code, Title Two Business Regulation of the Codified Ordinances of the City of North Royalton by creating a new Chapter 845, Mobile Food Unit Regulations. A food truck, or a “Mobile Food Unit” is defined in the ordinance as “any apparatus or equipment that is used to cook, prepare or serve food, and that routinely changes or can change location and is operated from a moveable vehicle or apparatus, including but not limited to motorized vehicles, trailers, and hand propelled carts.”
Under the new ordinance, the owner of the food truck “may submit an application, signed by the property owner authorizing the use of the location, and obtain a Limited Use Permit from the City of North Royalton Building Division prior to operating in the City of North Royalton. A Mobile Food Unit may not operate on property within the City unless it has passed a Fire Department inspection and obtained a Limited Use Permit.” The inspection by the Fire Department will cost $50 per inspection, which will be valid for one year. The application fee for a Limited Use Permit shall be $25 for up to a two-month period to a maximum of $100 per year, as long as the permits are for the same location each time. They can be located within any zoning district other than residential, cannot be unattended, are prohibited from selling alcoholic beverages and may operate or park for no longer than four hours at any given time. The full list of regulations can be found on the city’s website, under the Government tab, Council office, Legislation, 21-67.
The ordinance was adopted 5-2, with Council President Paul Marnecheck and Ward 1 Council Representative Jessica Fenos casting the dissenting votes. Marnecheck noted that “I appreciated the numerous meetings as well as the many business owners/residents who participated in this process over the last 12 months or so. Ultimately, I did not agree with the final draft. But, now that it is in place, I look forward to the real-world testing and seeing if adjustments are needed.”
“The intention behind the creation of this legislation was good,” said Fenos. “I just don’t see that there’s an overwhelming need for this level of regulation at this time.”
Of the new ordinance, Community Development Director, Tom Jordan stated that “I think that food trucks are something that many other cities have enjoyed and we will welcome them with certain restrictions and if we need to amend it to deal with the reality of it, then we’ll see how it goes.”

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer