Food truck popularity increased during pandemic
Hopewell Township Committee discussing regulating food trucks
An ordinance regulating food trucks is on the table in Hopewell Township.
The Hopewell Township Committee held a work session led by Mayor Michael Ruger on the topic of the food truck ordinance at the governing body’s March 20 meeting.
“Our goal here is we want to strike a balance. The fact is people like food trucks,” Ruger said.
“They are beneficial, but we also want to make sure that they do not have a competitive advantage over brick-and-mortar restaurants that are located in the township that pay taxes and employ local people.”
The governing body did not make any final decisions on an ordinance in the work session, as several Committee members needed more time on specifics, such as operating hours and limiting the number of consecutive days a food truck could be in one location.
“We think that it is important just to make sure that we have clear rules that they have to follow, because that way we can ensure there is public safety from both a health perspective and a fire perspective,” Ruger said.
Food trucks are currently able to operate in the township through a temporary activities permit.
“Temporary activities permit is found in the land use ordinance and is designed for activities that are temporary in nature and beneficial to the municipality. It provides an avenue for fairs, carnivals and things like that,” Township Attorney Steven Goodell said.
Before a permit is issued, the Township Committee must approve a resolution that directs the Hopewell Township zoning officer to issue the temporary activities permit.
A temporary activities permit fee is $30, according to the township.
Food trucks were previously a topic of discussion during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when officials saw the popularity of food trucks rise with more and more of them coming into the township.
“We looked to see where we can regulate them and the only avenue we had was these temporary activities permit,” Goodell said. “As you can see it does not really fit in that legislative scheme.”
A food truck ordinance from Springfield Township in Burlington County was used as a guide along with feedback from township departments for a model ordinance.
“It takes regulation out of the land use ordinance and puts it in the health ordinances where it really does belong,” Goodell said.
The Township Committee will need to determine how long these permits should last, what should be the costs of the permit, should there be restrictions on where the food trucks are allowed to go and what those restrictions should be, according to Goodell.
There are two types of fees that were discussed during the work session – a fire inspection fee, that is mandated by the state, and a separate health inspection fee.
“The fire code requires that when food trucks or any mobile food vendor sets up to operate, we conduct a fire inspection,” said Andrew Fosina, fire marshal of Hopewell Township Fire District 1. “Along with that is an application fee, process for processing the application, and coming out to do the inspection.”
The fire inspection fee is currently $65.
However, a reinspection is triggered if the food truck has moved from its specific location. The owner or operator of the food truck would not be allowed to drive the food truck away and comeback to the location without having another inspection and fee of $65.
If the food truck stays in the same location for the days it is allowed to operate, there would only be one inspection and fee that will be required to be paid, officials said.
Dawn Marling, health officer at the Hopewell Township Health Department, added that a temporary health license is $40 that goes along with a temporary activities permit and is issued for the time of temporary activities permit.
