News

On August of 2023, Common Council approved an update to the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) which expanded the areas where food trucks can operate. With the new update, the zones where food trucks can operate expanded to areas zoned park, agricultural, residential, university, and institutional. Before this update, zoning regulations only allowed food trucks to be operated in properties zoned commercial. This reflects the expansion and popularity of food trucks in Richmond since the UDO was first adopted in 2010.

With the addition of allowing food trucks to operate in residential areas, a stipulation was made that food trucks may not operate for more than four days per month on a given residential property. Food truck operators may apply for a variance to set up for more than four days a month at a residential property.

"Richmond is fortunate to have several first-rate food trucks," said Dustin Purvis, Zoning Administrator for the City of Richmond. "These updates to the UDO are intended to expand the areas where these businesses can operate and continue to thrive. The changes are designed to provide greater flexibility to food trucks while still protecting residential areas from becoming overly commercialized."

Richmond acknowledges and appreciates the valuable contribution food trucks provide to our community. If you have any questions about zoning regulations in regard to food trucks, please contact the Department of Infrastructure & Development at (765) 983-7341.

More information about the 2023 updates to the Unified Development Ordinance can be found here. The full Unified Development Ordinance is located here.