Mobile Food Vendor Inspections - Best Practice

Mobile Food Vendor Inspections - Best Practice

Purpose Statement

The purpose of this guide is to provide Fire Prevention personnel with a standardized best practice for managing mobile food vendors that operate within their jurisdiction. This process enables efficient tracking, inspection scheduling, and compliance monitoring of mobile food units by creating proper occupancy records that distinguish between the vendor's primary business location and their mobile units.

Background Information

Mobile food vendors present unique challenges for fire prevention departments as they operate from multiple locations while maintaining a primary business address. This best practice establishes a systematic approach to create occupancy records for both the vendor's main office/commissary location and individual mobile units (food trucks, trailers, carts). This method ensures proper inspection tracking, compliance monitoring, and maintains accurate records for regulatory purposes while accommodating vendors who may operate outside your jurisdiction but require inspections within it.

Required Permissions

Users must have the following permissions enabled in their role to complete this process:

Pre-Planning Permissions:

  • Create New Occupancy on the Map
  • Create New Occupancy Outside Area
  • Location Not Shared – Edit
  • Places - Move Pin Location
  • Pre-Plans - Clone Primary Address
  • Change Address Status

Fire Prevention Permissions:

  • Edit Occupancy Address
  • Occupancy Record

Video


Step-by-Step Guide

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1. Step 1: Check permissions that will be helpful in managing Occupancies. Click on Admin.






2. Click on Roles.


Click on Roles.



3. Click on Edit for the Role to verify permissions for.


Click on Edit for the Role to verify permissions for.



4. Click to expand the Pre-Planning Permissions Bucket.


Click to expand the Pre-Planning Permissions Bucket.



5. Verify that these permissions are enabled:
  1. Create New Occupancy on the Map
  2. Create New Occupancy Outside Area
  3. Location Not Shared – Edit
  4. Places - Move Pin Location
  5. Pre-Plans - Clone Primary Address
  6. Change Address Status





6. Click to expand the Fire Prevention Permissions Bucket.


Click to expand the Fire Prevention Permissions Bucket.



7. Verify that these permissions are enabled:
  1. Edit Occupancy Address (Allows the user to edit the address)
  2. Occupancy Record (Allow access to the Occupancy Record)





8. Step 2: Navigate to the Pre-plans Map and Create the Occupancy for the office/main location for the Mobile Food Vendor.
  1. NOTE: If the Occupancy is in your list of Occupancies, skip this step.
  2. Enter the address or move the map to the proper location. Double click on map to create the occupancy or if you entered an address click on the pin to create the new occupancy. 



9. Enter or confirm address data.
  1. Enter a billing address if different from the location address (#1).
  2. Select "Not Shared Location" (#2) if the location is outside of your jurisdiction.

Enter or confirm address data.



10. If the location is outside of your jurisdiction, In Occupancy Details, make sure the Occupancy is not marked as Is Inspectable.


If the location is outside of your jurisdiction, In Occupancy Details, make sure the Occupancy is not marked as Is Inspectable.



11. Select "Publish" to create the new Occupancy.






12. If the location is outside of your jurisdiction, confirm that you are creating the occupancy as such by selecting "OK."






13. Select "OK" to publish.






14. Step 3: To create the Mobile Food unit(s), select the address marker and then "Clone Address."






15. In this pop up modal, follow these steps to clone the address:
  1. Select the primary Address (#1).
  2. Enter an identifying number for the Mobile Food unit such as the License Plate Number, VIN, Unit Number, etc. in Address Line 2 (#2).
  3. Select "Clone Address" (#3).





16. In Occupancy Details, enter a name for the Mobile Food unit in the Business Name field.


In Occupancy Details, enter a name for the Mobile Food unit in the Business Name field.



17. In Occupancy Details, enable "Is Inspectable."






18. In Address Details, mark the Mobile Food unit as "Not Shared Location."






19. To finalize the creation of each Mobile Food unit follow these steps:
  1. Move the address marker to separate it from the address marker for the Primary Address (#1).
  2. Select Publish (#2).





20. Example View of Primary and Secondary Address markers.


Example View of Primary and Secondary Address markers.



21. Option #1 to initiate an Inspection for the Mobile Food unit.
  1. Select the address marker for the correct Mobile Food unit.
  2. Select Start an Inspection. The assumption is that your agency has a correct Inspection Type for Mobile Food unit.





22. Option #2 to initiate an Inspection for the Mobile Food unit navigate to the Inspection Organizer.
  1. Select the correct Inspection Type and then select "Change" (#1).
  2. Enter identifying information for the Mobile Food unit and the select search (#2).
  3. Select Inspect (#3).
  4. Or, schedule the Mobile Food unit for an Inspection (#4). This will put the Inspection on the Inspections List page.





23. To remove a Mobile Food unit from the Occupancy list, select the Occupancy and then select Inactive (#1) in the Address Status field, then "Save" (#2).
  1. NOTE: The Mobile Food unit can also be restore to Active Status.



Best Practices

  • Use consistent identification methods for mobile units (license plate numbers, VIN, or assigned unit numbers)
  • Maintain clear naming conventions for mobile food units to distinguish them from the primary business location
  • Separate address markers on the map to avoid confusion between primary and mobile unit locations
  • Verify inspection types are properly configured for mobile food units before implementing this process
  • Regularly review and update mobile unit status based on current operations
  • Document any special operating agreements or permits in the occupancy notes
  • Coordinate with other departments that may also regulate mobile food vendors

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Q: What if the mobile food vendor's primary location is outside our jurisdiction? A: Mark the primary occupancy as "Not Shared Location" and ensure "Is Inspectable" is disabled. Only the mobile units operating within your jurisdiction should be marked as inspectable.

Q: Can I restore a mobile food unit that was marked as inactive? A: Yes, select the occupancy record and change the Address Status back to "Active," then save the changes.

Q: What if I don't see the Clone Address option? A: Verify that you have the "Pre-Plans - Clone Primary Address" permission enabled in your user role.

Q: How do I handle seasonal mobile food vendors? A: Use the Active/Inactive status feature to temporarily deactivate units during off-seasons and reactivate them when operations resume.

Q: What information should I include in Address Line 2 for mobile units? A: Use the most permanent identifying information available, such as license plate number, VIN, or vendor-assigned unit number.

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