Woodstock orders up more food truck regulations to protect brick-and-mortar restaurants

Woodstock seems willing to regulate food trucks a little more than the city has in the past.

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, officials discussed but did not vote on potential new rules for food trucks.

Some council members indicated that they want to see more restrictions on the food trucks to give a boost to existing brick-and-mortar eateries.

The move comes about a year after the city put in place some regulations on the mobile dining establishments. Food trucks must get permission from the city to operate on public property, or on private property located within 100 feet of a business that serves food.

Officials at the time indicated that they wanted to strike a balance between food trucks and permanent restaurants

During the discussion Tuesday, Mayor Mike Turner said the economy for the restaurants is “difficult.” He said he supports food trucks on a limited basis, but the considerations of the brick-and-mortar restaurants are “paramount.” He said he was interested in “creating a little insulation” for the eateries.

Woodstock Executive Director of Business Development Danielle Gulli said she had talked with business owners on the Square in the days before the council meeting. They had concerns about the trucks being close to their businesses and want the city to review when and how many food trucks are allowed.

Gulli said the businesses feel they can’t compete against the food trucks. She said she heard that the quantity of trucks plays into it, because if food truck lines are long, people will go into the restaurants.

Gulli also said the offerings could matter. For instance, there was a food truck that was serving coffee and hot chocolate at the recent Lighting of the Square, which could take away from a brick-and-mortar store offering those products.

Food trucks operating at city-approved events do not need to get a food truck license.

City Manager Roscoe Stelford said that sometimes businesses like to host food trucks and don’t necessarily tell the city about it. He said the city has been trying to be more proactive in monitoring social media and event pages to reach out about requirements.

Turner said whatever the city does going forward, it needs to “have more teeth” in regard to food trucks operating without a permit. The mayor said the city should get Woodstock police involved as far as fines and enforcement go. But he added that the city is “not throwing anybody in jail over this, OK? Don’t overstate it.”

Thirteen food trucks got city licenses this year, according to city documents, a number that doesn’t include those that were set up at city-sponsored events, where licenses are not required. Those 13 trucks had 22 events among them, and one of them paid the maximum allowed under the yearly cap, according to city documents.

Although the council seems in favor of heavier regulation of food trucks, there’s at least one event solely dedicated to them. Woodstock hosted a food truck festival back in June, where almost two dozen food trucks set up on the Square.

City Council member Melissa McMahon, who also serves as president of Woodstock Pride, said the group’s plan for the annual Pride event in June 2025 is to bring down the number of food trucks and set up a spot for local restaurants to take orders if they want.

Woodstock currently charges $25 to apply for a license and $25 per event, with a cap of $300 per year, according to city records. The application requires “proof of a valid copy of all necessary licenses or permits required by the state and county health authorities for the operation of a mobile food truck,” according to city code.

According to Woodstock city documents, McHenry charges $25 a day, while Crystal Lake charges $50 for an annual permit and Huntley charges $100 for an annual application fee.

In Huntley, food trucks cannot operate for two or more days on the same property unless it’s a village-approved or sponsored event, or if it’s on a Class J liquor license property. Class J generally covers breweries, and those food trucks only can be around for three consecutive days.

Huntley also permits only two food trucks in town on the same day, but homeowners association, village events and Class J liquor license trucks don’t count. Food trucks also can’t operate within 500 feet of any existing restaurant, according to the Huntley code.

In McHenry, the City Council voted in September to require a permit application process that’s available online. People can fill out the form and pay the $25 daily fee online. Trucks are limited to three out of seven days and cannot leave the truck or trailer sitting overnight. The fine for not having a city permit is $500.

In Woodstock, officials are planning to have new proposed food truck regulations in February for the council to consider.

Woodstock Area Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Brad Ball noted that the city reviewed the food truck rules last year, and it was appropriate for them to review it every once in a while. Ball said it is a “very pertinent and timely issue.”

One thing Ball mentioned that didn’t come up in Tuesday’s meeting was some brick-and-mortar restaurants also operate food trucks. One of the main things to address, Ball said, is how to avoid duplication when possible. The city plans to have meetings with stakeholders, and Ball said the chamber is looking forward to being in those discussions.