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Business & Permits

Opening a food truck park: districts, toilets, distances and rubbish

Last reviewed: September 6, 2026 — VerifiedOGPe

In short

Section 6.1.1.13 of Joint Regulation No. 9473 is the one governing food truck parks, and it is more detailed than most expect. The activity is permitted ministerially in districts C-L, C-I, C-C and I, and by way of exception in R-B, RC-E, RT-I, RT-A, D-G, D-A, ARD, R-G, A-G and C-R. Only OGPe or the Hierarchy I to III Municipalities may evaluate and endorse the application. No permanent structures are allowed on the lot, and the installation, use and operation of loudspeakers, megaphones, horns or sound amplification devices is prohibited on the trucks or on any part of the premises. The space arithmetic is threefold: no more than one truck per one hundred square metres of lot will be authorised; trucks may not be sited less than five feet apart; and a minimum separation of twenty linear metres is needed from any other lot where a dwelling, a residential area or a development is sited or has been authorised, measured between the nearest points. The toilets may be portable at first, but there is a one-year term from the granting of the Permiso Único to build permanent installations; there must be at least one toilet per gender, and one set of sanitary services for every four trucks. Parking follows Chapter 8.5, with a minimum of three spaces per truck space. And the park’s operator is responsible for acquiring or contracting the services needed to transport the waste to its final disposal site.

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What is it?

It is the section of Rule 6.1.1 of Chapter 6.1 of Joint Regulation No. 9473 devoted to food truck parks. It sets in which districts the activity is ministerial and in which one must go by exception, who may evaluate the application, which documents must be submitted, how many trucks fit on a lot, how far they must be from housing, how many toilets are needed and how the rubbish is handled. It also orders compliance with each municipality’s standards for itinerant businesses, which differ from town to town.

Who can do it?

The activity will be permitted ministerially in districts C-L, C-I, C-C and I. It will be permitted by way of exception in districts R-B, RC-E, RT-I, RT-A, D-G, D-A, ARD, R-G, A-G and C-R. Activities in ecologically sensitive areas identified by the Planning Board are considered by way of exception and require evidence of DRNA’s favourable recommendation. Every application by way of exception must be filed by the owner or an authorised representative, stating the reasons. And the application must be evaluated and endorsed only by OGPe or the Hierarchy I to III Municipalities.

Requirements

Documents you need

Cost

Check the current cost with the official agency.

Step by step

  1. Step 1: In which districts it is allowed

    The first thing is the lot’s qualification, because it decides whether the procedure is simple or long. The activity will be permitted ministerially in districts C-L, C-I, C-C and I. It will be permitted by way of exception in districts R-B, RC-E, RT-I, RT-A, D-G, D-A, ARD, R-G, A-G and C-R. And activities proposed in ecologically sensitive areas identified by the Planning Board are considered by way of exception, with evidence of DRNA’s favourable recommendation. The application must be evaluated and endorsed only by OGPe or the Hierarchy I to III Municipalities.

  2. Step 2: How many trucks fit

    The three space calculations are in a single paragraph of the regulation and are worth doing before signing a lease. No more than one truck per one hundred square metres of lot will be authorised. Trucks may not be sited less than five feet apart. And a minimum separation of twenty linear metres is required from any other lot where a dwelling, a residential area or a development is sited or has been authorised, measured between the nearest points. That last requirement is what rules out most urban lots.

  3. Step 3: The toilets and the one-year term

    The regulation resolves the toilet problem with a temporary solution and a deadline. The toilets may be portable, but a term of one year from the granting of the Permiso Único is given to build permanent sanitary installations. They must also include at least one toilet per gender. And the arithmetic is simple: for every four trucks there will be one set of sanitary services. A twelve-truck park needs three sets.

  4. Step 4: No loudspeakers and no permanent structures

    Two prohibitions that change the park’s design. The first: the installation, use and operation of loudspeakers, megaphones, horns or sound amplification devices is prohibited on the trucks or on any part of the premises. It is not a limit on hours or decibels: it is a prohibition on installing the equipment. The second: no permanent structures will be allowed on the lot. Separately, for the siting, the existing uses, the infrastructure, the volume of vehicle and pedestrian traffic, safety, lighting and environmental conditions will be taken into consideration.

  5. Step 5: The plan and the explanatory memorandum

    The application carries two documents that must be prepared in detail. The plan of the lot must show the distribution of facilities, the specific number of spaces for trucks, the area with tables and chairs, the rubbish and recycling area, the toilets, the parking, the administrative area and the place where the permits will be displayed. The explanatory memorandum must state the days and hours of operation, the jobs to be generated, the estimated cost, the number of trucks, the form of rubbish collection, the cleaning, the recycling, and the location and number of toilets. To that are added evidence of title or the titleholder’s express authorisation — with a certified or registered deed and an up-to-date lease contract — compliance with public environmental policy, and the CRIM certification with address and cadastre number.

  6. Step 6: Parking, signs and school zones

    Parking follows Chapter 8.5, but with a minimum of its own: three parking spaces per truck space. Signs follow Chapter 8.7. And if the park is proposed in a school zone, one must be governed by Chapter 7.4 or hold the Department of Education’s endorsement.

  7. Step 7: The generators and the fuel

    A truck park almost always runs on generators, and the regulation provides for it in two separate requirements. Permits and certifications for the portable electricity generators are needed. And the method of storing fuel for those generators will comply with what the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources establishes.

  8. Step 8: The rubbish, the greases and the operator

    The waste part is the section’s most specific. Every truck and its area will be kept clean. They must have receptacles for food waste, greases, oils and other liquid waste, to prevent them from being spilled or discarded into gutters, drains and sewers. The disposal of waste, greases or liquids on the lot’s area or adjacent areas will not be permitted. They will comply with the Department of Health’s regulation on the conservation, preparation, processing and dispatch of food and drink. And the final responsibility has a name: the park’s operator will be responsible for acquiring or contracting the services needed to transport the waste to its final disposal site.

  9. Step 9: The criteria for a favourable determination

    To authorise, it is assessed that the health, safety and welfare of those carrying out the activity and of the bordering properties be protected; that the supply of light and air not be impaired; that the danger of fire not be increased; that the values of neighbouring properties not be harmed; that the viability, adequacy and convenience be demonstrated; and that the Regulation’s conditions be met. The list adds two more points: that every application by way of exception be filed by the owner or an authorised representative stating the reasons, and that in ecologically sensitive areas evidence of DRNA’s favourable recommendation be presented. A note on the source: those last two are procedural requirements rather than evaluation criteria, and the section presents them alongside the rest as criteria; we reproduce them as printed.

Where to do it

The application is filed before OGPe or before an Autonomous Municipality with Hierarchy I to III, the only ones that may evaluate and endorse it under this section. The procedure is channelled as a use permit or Permiso Único under Rule 2.1.9 of Volume II. Where the activity is proposed in a district where it is permitted by way of exception, the application is filed by the owner or an authorised representative stating the reasons. And in ecologically sensitive areas DRNA’s favourable recommendation must accompany it. Apart from the permit, the itinerant-business standards of the municipality where the park is sited must be complied with.

How long it takes

Check the current processing time with the official agency.

What to do if something goes wrong

The order that saves money is this. First, the lot’s qualification: if it is C-L, C-I, C-C or I, the activity is ministerial; if it is R-B, RC-E, RT-I, RT-A, D-G, D-A, ARD, R-G, A-G or C-R, one must go by exception and the application must be filed by the owner or an authorised representative. Second, the distances: twenty linear metres from any lot with a dwelling, residential area or development, measured between the nearest points. That requirement disqualifies many lots before it is worth going further. Third, the arithmetic: the lot divided by one hundred gives the maximum number of trucks, that number divided by four gives the sets of toilets, and multiplied by three gives the minimum parking spaces. Fourth, portable toilets serve to open, but the one-year clock to build the permanent ones starts running with the granting of the Permiso Único, not when the business starts earning. Fifth, if the business plan included amplified music, it must change: the ban on loudspeakers, megaphones, horns and sound amplification devices covers the trucks and any part of the premises. And sixth, call the municipality: the standards for itinerant businesses and the ordinances limiting the operation belong to each town, and the regulation orders compliance with them.

Common mistakes

  • Assuming a food truck park can open on any commercial lot, without checking whether the district permits it ministerially or only by way of exception.
  • Leasing a lot less than twenty linear metres from a dwelling, residential area or development.
  • Measuring that separation from the lot’s centre rather than between the nearest points.
  • Planning more than one truck per one hundred square metres of lot.
  • Placing the trucks less than five feet apart.
  • Providing a single set of sanitary services for more than four trucks.
  • Forgetting that there must be at least one toilet per gender.
  • Staying with portable toilets indefinitely, when the term to build permanent installations is one year from the granting of the Permiso Único.
  • Budgeting fewer than three parking spaces per truck space.
  • Installing horns, loudspeakers or sound amplification equipment on the trucks or on the premises.
  • Erecting a permanent structure on the lot.
  • Submitting a plan without indicating the place where the permits will be displayed, which the regulation expressly requires.
  • Submitting an expired lease contract or a deed that is neither certified nor registered.
  • Omitting the CRIM certification with address and cadastre number.
  • Letting greases, oils or liquid waste reach gutters, drains or sewers.
  • Assuming the final waste collection falls to the municipality, when the park’s operator is responsible for transporting it to its final disposal site.
  • Ignoring the itinerant-business standards of the municipality where the park is sited.

Frequently asked questions

In which districts can I open a food truck park?

The activity will be permitted ministerially in districts C-L, C-I, C-C and I. It will be permitted by way of exception in R-B, RC-E, RT-I, RT-A, D-G, D-A, ARD, R-G, A-G and C-R. In ecologically sensitive areas identified by the Planning Board it is considered by way of exception and with DRNA’s favourable recommendation.

How many trucks can I put on my lot?

No more than one truck per one hundred square metres of lot will be authorised, and trucks may not be sited less than five feet apart.

How far must it be from houses?

A minimum separation of twenty linear metres is required from any other lot where a dwelling, a residential area or a development is sited or has been authorised, and that distance is measured between the nearest points.

Can I use portable toilets?

Yes, but with a deadline. The toilets may be portable, and a term of one year from the granting of the Permiso Único is given to build permanent sanitary installations. They must include at least one toilet per gender, and for every four trucks there will be one set of sanitary services.

Can I play music with loudspeakers in the park?

No. The regulation prohibits, on the trucks or on any part of the premises, the installation, use and operation of loudspeakers, megaphones, horns or sound amplification devices.

How much parking do I need?

Parking is provided under Chapter 8.5, with a minimum of three parking spaces per truck space.

Who handles the rubbish?

The park’s operator will be responsible for acquiring or contracting the services needed to transport the waste to its final disposal site. Besides, every truck must have receptacles for food waste, greases, oils and other liquid waste, and the disposal of waste, greases or liquids on the lot’s area or adjacent areas will not be permitted.

Official sources

These are the government pages this guide is based on.

Last verified

September 6, 2026

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