City Council Approves Food Truck Legislation

Street food vending now should be easier in Atlanta. 

The Atlanta City Council Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance that lifts some restrictions on food truck vending on private property. 

Dist. 2 Councilman Kwanza Hall, who represents a portion of Midtown, made the announcement in a Twitter message Tuesday afternoon. Hall introduced the in June. 

"This is really great," Greg Smith, president of the Atlanta Street Food Coalition, said Tuesday in an email. Smith helped the councilman draft the ordinance. "This removes one of the biggest obstacles blocking prospective food truck operators from getting into the industry -- the prohibition on being truly mobile.

"The trucks will now be able to move more easily around the city, so long as they limit their operations to private property."

The approval comes the same week that Street Food Thursdays resumes in Midtown. Beginning this Thursday, Sept. 8, food trucks will set up at a new location at Peachtree and 12th streets, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

"We expect 20+ trucks and trailers this week," says a post on the Atlanta Street Food Coalition's Facebook page. "This will be the largest gathering of coalition members ever in the city of Atlanta. Please come out and show your support!"