BIRMINGHAM, AL – The Birmingham City Council moved a little closer today toward approving a proposed food-truck ordinance that has been idling since September.

birmingham food truck spoonfed grill

The Spoonfed Grill food truck is often parked along Fifth Avenue North downtown. (Tamika Moore/al.com)

At a council work session this afternoon, six councilors went over a 16-page proposal that, among other things, would help establish the hours and locations where mobile food vendors could park their trucks and carts and would determine how much those vendors would pay in annual fees.

As proposed, the ordinance would:

  • Establish a Mobile Food Vendors Committee to approve applications for food truck permits and regulate designated food zones throughout the city.
  • Require prospective mobile vendors to pay a $200 non-refundable application fee, plus a $300 annual fee to operate within the city limits or $500 to operate within the downtown City Center.
  • Limit hours of operation for food trucks and carts to no more than two hours at a time at any location. Suggested hours are 7 to 9 a.m. for breakfast, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for lunch, and 4 to 6 p.m. for dinner. Late-night hours would be determined on a case-by-case basis.
  • Restrict food trucks and push carts from doing business within 230 feet of any existing restaurant during that restaurant’s regular business hours.

Click on the link to read the entire article about Birmingham getting closer to allowing food trucks by Bob Carlton at al.com.