Mt. Juliet, After Beacon Lawsuit, Drops $100/Day Food Truck Fee

Image Credit: MtJuliet-Tn.gov

The Center Square [By Jon Styf] –

A central Tennessee community east of Nashville passed an amended food truck ordinance on Monday that will create an equal $100 annual registration fee for all vendors.

Mt. Juliet’s amended ordinance came after the city was sued by food truck operators from outside of the city and the Beacon Center of Tennessee after approving a $100 per day registration fee for vendors from outside of Mt. Juliet.

“We are absolutely thrilled that our lawsuit prompted the city of Mt. Juliet to repeal its unconstitutional $100/day permitting fee for food truck operators located outside of Mt. Juliet,” Beacon Director of Legal Affairs Wen Fa said in a statement. “That exorbitant fee essentially shut out our clients – food truck owners who have served many satisfied Mt. Juliet residents in the past – from Mt. Juliet. We’re delighted for both our clients and for the residents of Mt. Juliet that the food trucks are now able to return.”

The $100 annual permit fee per mobile truck must be paid along with the mobile vendor permit application.

Fa previously mentioned Funk Seoul Brother and Chivanada as food trucks impacted by the daily permit fee rule.

In the lawsuit, Beacon said the differential treatment of in-city and out-of-city food trucks violated the vendors’ state and federal constitutional rights.

Mt. Juliet is about 10 to 15 minutes drive from Nashville International Airport, and less than 20 miles from downtown Nashville. The city’s population of about 40,000 got a surge of more than 15,000 between 2010 and 2020.

About the Author: Jon Styf, The Center Square Staff Reporter – Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonStyf.