Austin food truck rules: where a mobile food establishment may park

Last verified August 14, 2026 against the Austin Land Development Code · Kimbrough Gray · KiliGray Homes

A mobile food establishment is not permitted on private property except as provided in Section 25-2-812. It must be licensed by the health authority and is permitted in all commercial and industrial zoning districts except neighborhood office (NO), limited office (LO) and general office (GO). It may not operate between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.

Applies to: A mobile food establishment, as that term is defined in Title 25, Part 1, Section 229.162 of the Texas Administrative Code and Section 10-3-1 of the City Code. Section 25-2-812(B) states that a mobile food establishment is not permitted on private property except as provided in the section. The additional distance and hour limits in Subsection (N) apply only where an ordinance has been adopted under Subsection (L) or (M).

Prohibited on private property — then permitted back

§25-2-812(B) starts from a flat "no": a mobile food establishment is not permitted on private property except as provided in this section. Everything that follows is the exception being carved back out.

The carve-out is broad — all commercial and industrial zoning districts — with one pointed exclusion: the three office districts, NO, LO and GO. Offices are commercial in the ordinary sense and residential in scale, and the section treats them as the latter.

Rule	Baseline, citywide
Districts	All commercial and industrial, except NO, LO, GO
Hours	Closed 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.
From a restaurant	Not within 20 feet of a restaurant (general) or (limited) use
From mixed residential/commercial	Not within 50 feet of a lot with a building containing both
Noise	≤ 70 dB at the property line across from or abutting a residential use
Drive-in service	Not permitted

§25-2-812(C) to (E). These apply everywhere; subsection (N) adds more where a neighbourhood has asked for it.

Twenty feet from a restaurant, fifty from a home above a shop

Two separation distances, protecting two different things.

The 20-foot rule keeps a truck off the doorstep of a restaurant, general or limited. It is a commercial-fairness rule, not an amenity one — the neighbour being protected is a business.

The 50-foot rule is about a lot with a building that contains both a residential and a commercial use. Not any residence — specifically the flat above the shop, where somebody sleeps directly over a commercial frontage and has no garden between them and the street.

It has to stay mobile

Three subsections quietly enforce the "mobile" in mobile food establishment:

A permanent water or wastewater connection is prohibited.
Electrical service may come only from temporary utility service, or from an onboard generator.
Signs are limited to those attached to the truck itself — secured, mounted flat, projecting no more than six inches.

Taken together they prevent the gradual conversion a food truck lot otherwise tends toward: plumb it in, wire it up, put a sign on a post, and it has become a building that never went through site plan.

Litter is an all-hours duty; the bin is a business-hours one. §25-2-812(H) requires the permit holder to provide a customer trash receptacle during business hours. §25-2-812(I) requires the area kept clear of litter and debris at all times — including after closing, when the bin need not be there.

A neighbourhood can ask for more — but only in February

Subsections (L) to (O) are a second, stricter regime that does not apply anywhere until a neighbourhood asks for it and council grants it.

The route is narrow and calendared. An application may be made by the chair of the planning area contact team, or by an officer of a registered neighborhood association where there is no contact team or no adopted neighbourhood plan. The director accepts applications during February of each year, and council considers them annually. Miss February and the next chance is twelve months away.

Notice is unusually generous: in English and Spanish, at the City's cost, at least 16 days before the hearing, published in a newspaper and mailed to every licensed mobile food establishment and every registered neighbourhood association. The operators who would be affected are told directly.

Distance from SF-5 or more restrictive property	Under an adopted ordinance
Less than 50 feet	Not permitted at all
More than 50 ft, not more than 300 ft	May operate 6:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
More than 300 feet	May operate 6:00 a.m. – 3:00 a.m.

§25-2-812(N). Distance is measured to property in an SF-5 or more restrictive district, or on which a residential use permitted in such a district sits.

Reading the distance ladder

The ladder is easier to hold once you notice that the top rung is the ordinary citywide rule. Beyond 300 feet, 6 a.m. to 3 a.m. is exactly what §25-2-812(C)(4) already allows everywhere. The overlay changes nothing that far out.

What it does is close the two nearer bands: a five-hour earlier curfew between 50 and 300 feet, and an outright prohibition inside 50.

"SF-5 or more restrictive" is the district hierarchy — LA at the most restrictive end running through to LI — so it reaches well beyond SF-5 itself, down to LA, RR, SF-1, SF-2, SF-3 and SF-4. And the second limb catches property merely carrying a residential use permitted in such a district, whatever it is zoned.

Sixty days to comply. Where council adopts an ordinance under (L) or (M), an existing operator has until the 60th day after its effective date to meet the new distance and hour limits. There is no grandfathering beyond that window — a truck inside 50 feet has two months to move.

Common questions

Where can food trucks operate in Austin?

In all commercial and industrial zoning districts, except neighborhood office (NO), limited office (LO) and general office (GO). A mobile food establishment is otherwise not permitted on private property except as §25-2-812 provides.

What hours can an Austin food truck operate?

It may not operate between 3:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Where a neighbourhood ordinance under §25-2-812(N) applies, a truck between 50 and 300 feet of residential property is limited to 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

How far must a food truck be from a restaurant in Austin?

At least 20 feet from a restaurant (general) or restaurant (limited) use.

Can a food truck connect to water and sewer?

No. A permanent water or wastewater connection is prohibited. Electricity may come only from temporary utility service or an onboard generator.

What signs can a food truck have in Austin?

Only signs attached to the exterior of the truck itself — secured, mounted flat against it, and projecting no more than six inches.

Can my neighbourhood restrict food trucks?

Yes, by application to the director during February of each year, considered by council annually. The requirements may also be added to a neighbourhood plan combining district ordinance under §25-2-1406.

How loud can a food truck be?

Mechanical or outside sound equipment may not exceed 70 decibels measured at the property line across the street from or abutting a residential use.

How long do I have to comply with a new neighbourhood food truck ordinance?

Until the 60th day after the ordinance takes effect.

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We are homebuilders, not the City of Austin. This page explains how we read the code in practice — it is not legal advice and it is not an official determination. Always confirm with Austin Development Services before you rely on it for a project. The authoritative text is the Austin Land Development Code; permitting questions go to Austin Development Services Department.