Although there was a 4 month delay on the vote, it appears the Knoxville city council got it right. After years of being run as a pilot program, Knoxville trucks now have a permanent food truck ordinance to operate under. Not only did the bill pass, but it was passed unanimously.

KNOXVILLE, TN – Knoxville City Council voted to approve a new food truck ordinance Tuesday night after months of discussions.

Among other provisions, the ordinance requires food trucks with smokers to operate no less than 100 feet away from residential properties. Food trucks without smokers only have to be at least 15 feet away.

“I’m really happy that they did vote in this direction because I enjoy making people happy and people happy when they eat Barbecue,” said Patrick Tracy, owner of Holy Smokin BBQ.

The ordinance also makes several other changes to the pilot program in place since April 2014. The pilot program had a tiered permitting fee system. Units operating only on private property paid $200 a year while those also operating in designated zones in the public rights-of-way paid $400 a year. Food truck operators would now be charged a flat $200 and the renewal fee is only $50.

Find the entire article at wate.com [here]