Sycamore city follows DeKalb with plans to ease permit process to encourage more food trucks

SYCAMORE - The city of Sycamore on Monday followed the lead of its neighbors in DeKalb after taking steps to ease the permit process for food trucks to solicit more mobile business to the area.

Business owners interested in operating food trucks in Sycamore will have an easier time of it, after a move by city officials to streamline the process and encourage more mobile commerce.

The Sycamore City Council voted, 8-0, to pass an ordinance that will ease the permitting process for mobile food truck vendors looking to operate in city limits. During the council’s regular meeting, city officials said the move was meant to encourage greater use of food trucks in the area. The vote mimics a recent move by Sycamore’s neighbors in DeKalb, after the DeKalb City Council voted last month to approve a similar ordinance meant to solicit more mobile business.

Food truck owners need a permit from both the municipality and the DeKalb County Health Department to operate legally in the city.

“We like to look at these types of things as we go forward and finding easier ways for businesses to do business,” Sycamore City Manager Michael Hall said.

According to city documents, city staff said the existing Sycamore ordinance for food trucks “had many unnecessary steps that made it cumbersome for food truck vendors to do business in the city.”

Under the newly approved changes, a special events mobile food vendor permit cost $50 annually, and a permit for those wishing to operate a truck at a fixed location would cost $50 per month. Special event permits are reviewed on a case-by-case basis for public safety, zoning, location, hours of operation and parking requirements, according to documents.

“We’ve really broken it down to what we call health, life and safety issues,” Hall said. “We know that the DeKalb County Health Department does a check on them. We make sure the fire department checks them out. We are looking at their propane tanks or their cooking things so there are no issues there.”

A special event permit would be granted for a full year, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, according to documents, while a fixed location permit would be granted for the period requested by the applicant. Those wishing to have their food truck set up at a specific location would also need to obtain written permit from the property owner and set up at least 200 feet from the property line of other food vendors.

Additional requirements include five parking spaces surrounding the food truck and safety inspections every six months.

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