Board of Aldermen Pass Food Truck Ordinance

After months of deliberation, the Board of Aldermen passed an ordinance last night that gives them the deciding power over licensing and placement of food trucks throughout the city.

Discussion on the ordinance brought out activists, residents, and business owners hoping to craft legislation that would be beneficial to Somerville while being fair to current brick and mortar restaurants. Ideas such as offering cuisine that complimented current choices in the area and being available when restaurants closed for the evening were vetted out during the lengthy process of finalizing the language.

According to the ordinance, food truck operators will have to be licensed annually, can operate between 8am and 9pm, but can seek a special license to operate outside of those hours. A higher fee would accompany the approval of such a request. Licenses will have to be posted at all times during operation and they will be encouraged to serve healthy options on recyclable materials.