D.C. Food Truck Legislation Passes

Washington D.C.'s future in food trucks has been solved, finally; last night the D.C. Council passed new regulations for food truck vendors, after the fourth draft of the regulations was introduced in March.

While the council approved most of the regulations earlier this month, a couple were modified last night, Washington Business Journal reports.

The regulations create designated food truck spots around the city for specific trucks, but thanks to Food Truck Association pushes, the council reduced the distance other trucks had to keep from those areas from 500 feet to 200 feet.

Other changes? Food trucks must have 6 feet of unobstructed sidewalk adjacent to their parking spaces (meters do not count), the same amount of free sidewalk required from cafes and brick-and-mortar restaurants.

Furthermore, the fine for food trucks who overstay their parking meter time has been reduced from $2,000 to $50, a dramatic decrease (although fines will double for each repeated infraction).

The regulations still need Mayor Vince Gray's signature, DCist reports, but the Food Truck Association seems fairly pleased with the compromises.

"The rules that were proposed would have made D.C. the worst food truck city in the nation," Rob Frommer, an attorney who consulted the Food Truck Association, told DCist. "This is a good compromise that protects public health and safety while leaving trucks free to serve their customers."