COLUMBUS, OH – Columbus officials are considering new regulations or clarifications to existing rules covering food trucks after problems that have resulted in fines and hurt feelings.

The city council has previously chosen not to regulate food trucks because the city has a peddler’s ordinance that covers how vendors operate.

But the popularity of food trucks has exploded in the past 18 months, and the city is fielding more questions from business and neighborhood leaders, and trying to address competition among food-truck owners for space on the streets.

A few council members have scheduled a meeting today with the Central Ohio Food Truck Association to begin discussions about doing a better job of regulating the trucks.

The catalyst for change came in the past few weeks after Daniel McCarthy, the owner of the Tatoheads food truck, was cited for not having a commercial-sales license and for parking incorrectly at meters, city officials said.

The city’s peddler’s ordinance states that vendors cannot sell from a city street for more than 15 minutes without the proper permission or permit.

McCarthy took to Facebook, posting that the city’s ordinances “are crippling” the business. He said he was cited and faces a $500 fine and possible jail time.

Find the entire article by Lucas Sullivan at the Columbus Dispatch <here>