The Scottsburg City Council has recently passed legislation to regulate a growing industry throughout the United States. Since the COVID pandemic restaurants which closed or had to limit customers inside their facilities, many exiting eateries and entrepreneurs have started food concessions that can travel to locations to serve food.
According to the ordinance, passed Nov. 29 by a 4-0 vote, a mobile concession is defined as “a self-contained, mobile food and beverage services licensed to do business in the State of Indiana and holding all requisite health department, business and resale licensures to sell food and beverages in Indiana.”
However not impacted by the ordinance are food delivery services that deliver food or beverages ordered by a purchaser to a specific address provided by the purchaser; services such as Grub Hub, Uber Eats, or Door Dash.
Permits from the County Health are required to be displayed while operating within the city limits.
And the operators of mobile concessions are not to interfere with pedestrian or vehicular traffic on any street, sidewalk, road or parking lot or operate in the right-of-way of any location.
In addition to public health and safety regulations, mobile concession operators inside the Scottsburg city limits will fall under fire and safety regulations that include proper fire extinguishing equipment installed and maintained to the State of Indiana Fire Code and/or the appropriate NFPA standards. This shall include fire extinguishers, grease laden vapor systems and compressed gas for cooking.
The Scottsburg City Fire Department has the authority to inspect and enforce fire code safety, according to the new ordinance.
Any mobile concession owner or operator who violates the safety code of the ordinance is subject to a first offense penalty of $50. A second violation within a 12-month period will result in the $100 penalty and subsequent violation within a 12-month period will result in a $500 penalty.