Food trucks highlight lack of regulations

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

The Moore County Planning and Zoning Board met Tuesday, Oct. 7, to address concerns about two food trucks operating within the Lynchburg historic district – one of which has drawn questions about whether it has become a “permanent” structure.

The two businesses in question were Danny T’s at 265 Main St., between Miss Mary Bobo’s and the County Building, and Cattle Call at 33 Mechanic St., between Lynchburg Gifts & More and Honey Bunny Merchantile.

The discussion centered mainly on the hot dog stand – Danny T’s – parked on Main Street, where it was questioned whether the trailer had been modified in a way that violates local guidelines. Cierra Trussell with Cattle Call did not attend the meeting.

“What we are looking at here with the hot dog stand – the truck, the trailer, however you want to look at it – the tongue has been removed,” Planning and Zoning Chair Dexter Golden said. “That’s where some concerns were raised. People are seeing it as a permanent structure rather than a mobile unit.”

Board members noted that the county does not currently have an ordinance regulating food trucks or specifying where they may operate on private property. “There’s really nothing there that we can say to you about moving it,” Golden added. “We can’t create a rule mid-game and say this is what we’re going to do now.”

Leanne Durm, who is related to both the food truck operator and the property owner, represented Danny T’s at the meeting. She explained that the trailer’s tongue was intentionally removed to avoid crossing a property line – not to make the structure permanent.

“When the property line was established, the tongue was over it,” she said. “It can be reattached at any time, and the trailer still has wheels and can be moved.”

She added that the hot dog stand complies with state regulations. “According to all of our research, they’re in compliance right now,” she said. “The Tennessee Department of Agriculture regulates mobile food trailers, and she meets all of those requirements. Moore County doesn’t have any regulations that forbid it.”

Board members agreed that the issue highlights the need for clearer local regulations governing food trucks and their placement. This topic has generated “pushback from both sides” in past years.

“We never even adopted anything through the [Metro] Council],” noted Golden, who represents District 3 on the council. “We actually had a council member that was supposed to kind of head this [food truck regulations] project and that fell through. Never heard anything else about it.”

He added, “At the end of the day, we hope everybody comes into town and tries to work with us so we can find something in common. But right now, we don’t have much authority to remove those units or require changes.”