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SALT LAKE CITY — Rob Lundin gets an invitation to bring his gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches to Salt Lake County nearly every day. But most of his business stays in northern Utah because the licensing processes for food trucks are so cumbersome.
"If I had the permits, there's numerous places I'd love to go," he said.
Lundin estimates he spends upward of 15 hours a week at the beginning of each year just navigating licensing, rules and regulations for each city and health department jurisdiction where he operates his popular Toasted Cheeser truck.
He keeps about 15 active licenses, each with different standards and inspection processes, as well as cost and duration, until renewal is necessary.
It's a common problem for Utah food truck owners — the smallest of small-business owners who often employ only themselves, family members or maybe a few others.
Sen. Deidre Henderson, R-Spanish Fork, is sponsoring legislation to streamline the process to allow such businesses to thrive without the constant headache of renewal season and repetitive inspections.
"We want to maintain a business-friendly environment for food trucks," Henderson said.
SB250 would allow food trucks that have complied with statewide standards of safety and fire inspections to be eligible to purchase licensure in multiple cities without having to jump through the same hoops in those cities.
"Food truck owners don't want special treatment," said Taylor Harris, general manager of the Food Truck League, an organization representing more than 100 trucks along the Wasatch Front. "They just want to sell food to customers as they move around, and having a common platform would help them move around more easily."
Harris said food truck owners often don't have the staffing or time to fill out paperwork for each city as required when they are already managing their businesses on their own.
"It really kind of cuts into your profit," Lundin said. "I don't think people really realize how much time and money is spent on paperwork, and in all honesty, we work off a really small profit margin."
Henderson's bill, which was approved Wednesday by the Senate Business and Labor Committee, would also require business license fees to cover the costs of licensure and regulation for those cities and not become a revenue generator.
SB250 also removes the ability for cities to prohibit where trucks are allowed to park, specifically in regards to adjacent brick and mortar food establishments.
Some argue that they compete with restaurant business, while others say food trucks generate synergy for the area, but cities still want to protect and preserve established vendors, Henderson said.
It is important for cities and health departments to maintain regulatory abilities on their own, as annual and on-the-spot inspections help curtail public health risks, health officials said.
"It is especially important for us to track mobile food businesses because a failure of the plumbing or electrical system usually leads to the inability of food workers to wash their hands, or to refrigerators that cannot keep food cold — both of which are public health hazards," said Salt Lake County Health Department spokesman Nicholas Rupp, noting that proper hygiene is important when dealing with food.
The county health department follows 115 food carts/trailers and 97 trucks that have active permits and must pass inspection for renewal each year, though fees are based on level of activity.
After several months on a wait list for Salt Lake County, Lundin instead opted for a special permit that allows him to attend up to 14 events in the year, each with at least two weeks' notice to the county to process the paperwork.
"It's discouraging," he said. "Maybe that's why we don't do that much in Salt Lake."
It is easier, however, for established trucks to navigate the system, Lundin said. And the committee of lawmakers Wednesday decided they're worth keeping around.
"We think food trucks are innovative," said Sen. Dan Hemmert, R-Orem. "They bring a culinary experience to Utah that we didn't have before."
And some of those trucks' owners go on to build or occupy brick and mortar establishments.
"People forget that food trucks are the new 'mom and pop shops,'" said Nicholas Watts, owner of Chedda Burger, which is located on 600 South but started as a food truck.
Watts said some licensing fees and late fees attached to them "would break a truck" that was just starting out.
Representatives from both the Utah Association of Counties and the Utah League of Cities and Towns spoke in support of SB250.
"Cities like food trucks. Local jurisdictions like to have food trucks in their communities, but it's new and regulations sometimes take time to catch up," said Cameron Diehl, league director of government affairs.
Diehl said cities have been trying to handle the growing number of trucks the best they can.
With SB250, cities will also still retain local authority when it comes to land use and zoning laws. Diehl said the league will provide guidance to cities as they develop rules regarding food trucks.
"Business is booming," Lundin said, adding that he's working on getting a second truck up and running. But that second truck will need the same number of licenses and permits.
"It would be nice to work under the same umbrella across different counties and under the same rules," he said.
