Bill Forces Food Trucks 300 Feet from Towson Restaurants

Baltimore County Councilman David Marks wants to keep food trucks farther away from Towson restaurants.

Marks, R-Perry Hall, sponsored the bill requiring food trucks to obtain a license to operate in the county. But the proposed bill would also ban the trucks from operating within 300 feet of the front entrance of a restaurant in downtown Towson.

Current rules prevent the trucks from operating within 100 feet of a restaurant in the county, and the current bill would not change that stipulation for areas outside of downtown Towson.  

The bill also prevents trucks from playing music from speakers mounted on the outside of the vehicle, require a truck to place a trash receptacle outside and clean the area of trash before leaving.  

The operator of a truck violating any of the provisions in the bill could be charged with a misdemeanor and fined $100. 

In June the Planning Board held a public meeting about the trucks operating in the area.

Before that hearing Marks said he wasn’t planning any legislation to address increasing the proximity food trucks are allowed to operate near other restaurants. 

"No one has complained to me about it yet," Marks told Patch at the time.

The bill is scheduled to be voted on by the council on Tuesday.