COURTESY/Curbsidetaco.com

The Tyler City Council approved a measure that will open the door to more dining options in the city.

The council approved two measures Wednesday morning to make it easier for food trucks to operate in the city.

All food trucks would be required to get a transient vendor permit from the city and a mobile food establishment permit from the North East Texas Public Health District. Permits would be issued in six-month increments.

The measures allow for food truck parks, where multiple food trucks would congregate in one place with appropriate seating. A minor food truck park would allow for two to four mobile food units in one place while a major park could have five or more, according to the city.

The parks would be required to have adequate parking and restrooms.

The council also amended its streets and traffic city codes to allow for a one-year street vending pilot program that would bring food trucks to city streets in certain districts in the city.

Frozen desert vendors would not need a mobile food permit and can sell on any city street so long as they are not hampering traffic, according to the ordinance change.

Vendors would be permitted in active construction zones and along specified streets in the hospital district and near Tyler Junior College, near the University of Texas at Tyler, Texas College, city parks and downtown Tyler.

New eateries would only be allowed on city streets where the speed limit is below 30 mph and would be required to be 50 feet away from an intersection and 300 feet away from any already established restaurant. They would also be required to move from their location ever three hours, if the ordinance change is approved.

The food trucks would not be allowed to be open from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., with the exception of Tyler’s downtown area, the ordinance reads.

Downtown, food trucks would not be allowed to operate on the downtown square and would only be permitted to serve the late-night crowd from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Food trucks would be allowed on various side streets in the downtown area, but not on the square proper.