Freeport eyes food truck regulations

Looking forward to festival season, Freeport wants to update its rules for food trucks operating in the borough.

Council will consider the proposed food truck regulations during a meeting Jan. 14.

Borough Manager Zachary Filous said Freeport previously had a broad special events ordinance that oversaw many functions of community festivals. Council updated those rules this year and, in an effort at transparency, decided to establish a separate ordinance regulating food trucks, he said.

The rules, if adopted, would require vendors to register with the borough and supply officials with proof of a valid business license, insurance and health permits. Vendors also must give borough officials a description of the food trucks, what foods or beverages are being sold and when they plan to operate within Freeport.

Permits must be visibly displayed on the food truck.

“It’s so we know who is operating within the borough,” Filous said.

Vendors can apply for a consecutive three-day permit for $25 or an annual permit for $100. Food trucks can operate on public or private property, if approved by Filous and in compliance with zoning and land-use regulations.

The proposal also sets rules for hours of operation, noise and waste management, and safety.

Violators could be subject to fines or having their permit revoked.

Filous said food trucks have become popular at community events such as Freeport Days, which is held during the summer months, and the Freeport Carnival in October.

It’s important for communities to consider public safety and health when creating rules for food trucks, said Matt Geller, executive director of Los Angeles-based National Food Truck Association.

“The whole idea of creating food truck regulations is for the benefit of the public,” he said.

“What they should be thinking about is, ‘What’s safe for the public?’ ”

Those rules are “standard,” Geller said, adding they include not leaving food out for more than two hours, not parking a large truck close to an intersection, vending toward the sidewalk and not the street, and having trash cans available so people can easily throw things away.

Local governments also shouldn’t overstep authority when it comes to creating rules, he said, and instead should ensure a free market between food trucks and restaurants.