Hermiston City Council approves ordinance addressing unlicensed food vendors
By Griffin Beach on Tuesday, February 24th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories
HERMISTON – The Hermiston City Council approved an ordinance at its meeting Monday that defines unlicensed mobile vendors as a nuisance, a move intended to allow code enforcement to take stronger action.
The matter was brought to the council after complaints from residents and local business owners.
“We spent a lot of time in the summer of 2025 dealing with citizen complaints because there were several unlicensed people basically coming into the city about seven o’clock at night putting up tents, lights, selling uninspected food,” said City Planner Clinton Spencer.
Violations of the ordinance will result in fines, though city staff said they would attempt to educate vendors on the rules before issuing citations. Any property owner who allows an unlicensed food vendor to operate on their property could also be cited. An immediate shutdown could occur if a health risk is detected.
The ordinance does not apply to those selling prepackaged food, such as Girl Scout cookies.
Two public comment periods were held: one during a work session prior to the meeting and another during the council meeting itself. Many comments focused on the city’s limit on permits. In response, the council directed staff to research increasing the number of available permits.
Spencer said currently there are six annual licenses available, all of which are in use. There are also three 30-day permits, with only one currently in use.
Councilors Allen Hayward, Josh Roberts, Jackie Myers, and David McCarthy listen while Yesenia Rangel speaks at Monday’s meeting.
