In the name of public health and safety, the city of Guadalupe now has a concrete set of regulations that operators of food trucks and trailers must abide by.
The food truck ordinance saga in Guadalupe has lasted more than seven years, city contracted Planning Director Larry Appel said at a Feb. 24 City Council meeting. In 2023, the Sun reported that Council members directed staff to draft the first-of-its-kind ordinance. It was officially adopted on March 10 this year.
Before the municipal code addition, city staff permitted food truck operators to sell in the city with business licenses and health permits. However, Guadalupe needed a formal ordinance to address complaints from residents about parking, traffic, sanitation, and safety, according to the document.
Appel explained that the ordinance considers opponents of food trucks by prohibiting operations on state highways like Guadalupe Street and West Main Street.
“That regulation actually addresses the concerns for operating a food truck in front of our many restaurants that are on Guadalupe Street,” Appel said at the February meeting. “The trucks would still be able to operate on the side streets, though.”
The $340 administrative use permits are required for food trucks and trailers. Applicants must also show proof of a business license, a county Public Health permit, and insurance. Operators must renew their permit annually.
Trucks that set up on streets or in parking lots have a limit of six operating hours between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. They have to wait 72 hours before returning for another round of service.
Business owners may also apply for a permit to allow food trucks to serve customers on their property, and party planners can bring food trucks to events in residential zones once a quarter.
The rules are a little different for city-sanctioned activities, like a food truck night similar to Santa Maria’s Downtown Fridays. It would allow multiple trucks to set up in one area, which normally isn’t the case. Business owner Ernesto Valle hopes to see such an event in Guadalupe’s future.
A butcher for the past decade and a half, Valle opened Lobo Butcher Shop in town four years ago. He offers a rotating list of weekly specials including tri-tip, sausage, steak, pork chops, and chicken wings.
In 2025 Valle bought a food truck to expand his business opportunities. He mainly keeps it on the butcher shop property but occasionally caters events elsewhere.
Valle said he sees the pros and cons of food trucks—it just depends on who you ask. On one hand, they compete for business with mom-and-pop restaurants, but large events featuring the mobile restaurants could bring out-of-towners to enjoy Guadalupe.
“We’re trying to bring more people to Guad,” Valle told the Sun. “I think it would be a good thing. I don’t know how the other businesses would react.”
To read more about permit applications in English or Spanish, visit cityofguadalupe.org/planning-department.
This article appears in May 7 – May 14, 2026.