TRUCKEE, Calif. — The Truckee Town Council opened its Tuesday, Sept. 9 meeting by celebrating the value of small businesses. Hours later, it approved new regulations that some say could make it harder for the town’s smallest entrepreneurs to survive.

“There is an irony to this,” Truckee Mayor Jan Zabriskie said. “Earlier this evening, we praised small business owners, and now that we are faced with an ordinance restricting the smallest of the small business owners, we are embracing it.”

The council voted to amend the municipal code to include a sidewalk vending ordinance — framed by staff as a matter of public safety and order, but criticized by Zabriskie as overly broad and potentially harmful.

“The Town’s code compliance division estimates about six complaints have come in this summer related to sidewalk vending,” said Senior Planner Chelsea Crager. “Nevada County Environmental Health received an additional 20 complaints in August alone.”

In March, the town directed staff to prepare a sidewalk vending ordinance in response. 

However, no investigations were conducted into the complaints.

The new ordinance prohibits vending within the Downtown Truckee Plan Area and limits hours of operation in nonresidential zones to 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Vendors must also meet strict physical requirements, including operating on paved rights-of-way with slopes no greater than 5% and leaving at least 48 inches of clearance for pedestrians, along with several other regulations.

The changes will also come with added costs. Street vendors will now need a town permit, expected to cost $195, in addition to navigating the new restrictions. Town staff said a fee resolution will be brought forward after the required noticing and publication process.

Zabriskie worried the layers of requirements would effectively drive vendors out of Truckee.

“Just the requirements for the application,” he said, “will pretty much wipe out that business in Truckee.”

The council had encouraged staff to reach out to existing vendors before the ordinance came up for a vote, but staff reported that inconsistent schedules and locations made it difficult to make contact. As a result, no vendors were directly consulted during the development of the ordinance.

Still, vendors were out in town that same evening. The Sierra Sun located four operating across Truckee, including Isabel Lopez of Hella Fresh Tacos.

Lopez said she wanted to attend the council meeting but, with such little notice, could not afford to miss work.

“We all know there is a lack of jobs, and rent is expensive in Truckee,” Lopez said. “For many young people, this is an opportunity to start a business and make an honest living.”

Lopez opened Hella Fresh Tacos because she didn’t have the financial resources to start a larger business. She pointed out how important vending can be for startups and stressed the need to protect vendors’ ability to operate.

Zabriskie, meanwhile, pointed out ambiguities in the ordinance’s language that could put vendors at risk.

“If we are banning everything but roaming vendors in residential areas, does that eliminate lemonade stands?” Zabriskie said, pointing to what he saw as vague language in the ordinance.

Senior Manager Crager responded that a stationary lemonade stand would not be covered.

The exchange illustrated one of Zabriskie’s broader concerns: an ordinance written to regulate sidewalk vendors could leave unclear who, exactly, it applies to.

Zabriskie opened the floor to other council members after his critiques, but with no further comments, David Polivy moved to approve the ordinance. While other council members had asked questions earlier in the evening, none spoke strongly for or against it.

With the ordinance approved on a 4-1 vote, Truckee vendors will now face a new permitting system and stricter rules. How those changes will affect the town’s vending community remains to be seen.