I wonder how many other mobile businesses on here have experienced the same problems we are running into and what they did to combat them.

The county where we want to do business says, "we don't allow any type of mobile business." But then the county code only says you can't operate from the side of county roads. Then they say that you can't even operate from private property, like a parking lot, unless you conduct all business inside a building. So it's okay if you deliver your coffee inside the building, but not okay for someone to come out of the building and get it from your truck... The code defines our business under "Motor Vehicle" and as a food establishment, but only the definition of Retail Establishment specifies that all business must be done inside a building.

We can't get past the zoning department to obtain a business license and looks like were going to have to submit an appeal to fight the decision. The appeal goes before a board of appeals made up of 6 members, one of which is from the community development (zoning) department. If it fails there, I guess we can take our case before the Board of Supervisors who have the authority to amend the code.

Who knows when we'll be able to do business here- if at all. I never expected this part of starting a business would be so difficult. I figured the health  inspection would be the hard part!


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Replies to This Discussion

patrick, just seeing your post from some time ago...curious if you got up and running ok, or not?  fighting city hall and the ordinances can be a real battle.  i don't know if there's truth to this, or not, but i've heard that the larger chains have really influenced the zoning codes for alot of the country.  it used to be that a mobile unit could set up shop relatively easily, free of many checklist issues, etc.  seems that that has changed with the advent of the larger retail coffee chains...my understanding is that they came in and showed the powers that be that the chains had all the goodies in place: plumbing, water, sewage, drainage, etc., etc. ($$), and those goodies started setting a precendent for the policy makers to follow.  sometimes the health department can be hard part, too...again, depending on your local health department.  i've had some good luck with going to the health department first with my questions/concerns as opposed to waiting for them to show up at a venue i might be working.  other times though, it opened a can of worms that might not have ever needed to be opened!

 

best of luck,

 

sage

the coffee hound

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