Mobile Food Facilities & REGULATIONS

Registered Environmental Health Specialists regularly inspect all retail food facilities in the County to protect the health of residents and visitors of the County. Our Food Safety Program focuses on preventing risk factors identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as contributing to foodborne illness, and decreasing the incidence of the most common violations identified during  inspections that may also play a role in foodborne illness. The five major risk factors and top five violations listed below are related to employee behavior and food preparation practices:

Center for Disease Control 5 Major Risk Factors Food:

1. Improper holding temperatures
2. Poor personal hygiene
3. Inadequate cooking 
4. Contaminated equipment 
5. Food from an unsafe source

During inspections, We focus on the five major risk factors and the top five violations to help mobile food facility operators identify areas where there are factors that may increase the risk of foodborne illness. Monitoring and controlling these risk factors, is key to having a safe food operation. Operators can successfully improve the safety of their operations by having written sanitation and maintenance procedures, training their employees on these procedures and actively implementing procedures in their day to day operations.

**For vendors located in incorporated cities in County of Monterey, contact your local city jurisdiction for additional information regarding street vendor operations. For vendors located in unincorporated areas of County of Monterey, please contact County of Monterey Housing and Community Development at (831) 755- 5025.**

Senate Bill 946: Sidewalk Vendors

On September 17, 2018, Senate Bill 946 (also known as the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act, SB 946) was signed by the Governor as an addition to existing Chapter 6.2 to Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 5 of the Government Code, relating to sidewalk vendors. This new bill would prohibit a local authority from regulating sidewalk vendors, except in accordance with the provisions of the bill. This bill would require a local authority that elects to adopt a sidewalk vending program to not require a sidewalk vendor to operate within specific parts of the public right-of-way, except when that restriction is directly related to objective health, safety, or welfare concerns, and not restrict sidewalk vendors to operate only in designated neighborhood or area, except as specified.

Download FAQ Sheet Here! English / Spanish

See full bill details here!

examples of mobile food facilities

Below are examples of Mobile Food Facilities

Unpackaged Trucks/Trailers

Examples: catering trucks, taco trailers, lunch trucks, hot trucks, chef trucks or any fully enclosed vehicle used for food preparation activities. All food preparation, cooking and storage must occur inside the vehicle or at an approved commissary.

Prepackaged Trucks

Examples: ice cream trucks and grocery trucks or any mobile food facility that stores and sells only prepackaged food. If prepackaged perishable foods are sold, approved refrigeration is required on the vehicle.

Unpackaged Carts

Examples: carts selling churros, pretzels, popcorn, shaved ice, hot dogs and coffee/cappuccino. These carts can serve unpackaged food with limited food preparation.

Prepackaged Carts

Examples: Carts selling prepackaged ice cream and chips. These types of carts are limited to selling of prepackaged foods only.

If you are not sure about a type of facility, how to get a health permit to operate in Monterey County, or have questions pertaining to regulations, please contact us at 831-755-4508

Mobile Food Facility Forms