On February 11th the City Council in Everett, Washington unanimously approved a new Ordinance providing for the Regulation and Enforcement of Unlicensed Mobile Food Vending Units within the Everett city limits. Here’s the summary of the ordinance:
This Ordinance will provide for city oversight over Mobile Food Vendors operating within the City of Everett, establishing criminal sanctions for those individuals who own and/or operate such a unit without a city business license or applicable food permit issued by the Snohomish County Health Department. The Ordinance provides for licensing requirements, operational restrictions, and location restrictions aimed at maintaining public health, order, and safety. Exemptions for entities excused from the provisions are provided. The Ordinance provides for greater liability for employers directing the unlicensed vending activity than for those conducting the activity, if the person offering the product for sale to the public is not the owner/employer as well. This Ordinance is in addition to other civil or criminal penalties available to other state or local authorities. You can see the whole Ordinance here.
On February 19th one of our Seen in Everett readers sent us the above photo of an officer interacting with a food stand in central Everett. We checked with Everett PD to confirm the contact and an EPD spokesperson sent us the following via email:
“According to the call notes, this officer spoke with the individuals operating the stand about the ordinance. They were given a warning. As the ordinance is new, this was an opportunity to educate folks on the change. Outside the warning, no enforcement action was taken.”