SB197 should be passed this session
An unusual bill is pending in the Alabama Legislature. It would benefit the residents of Alabama and, specifically, a growing segment of small business owners.
It’s in stark contrast to the numerous other bills introduced this session — that is to say, the sort of needless bills that proliferate when it’s an election year.
Senate Bill 197, however, is different. It would allow mobile food vendors to obtain a single health inspection certificate from their home county and a single fire inspection certificate, exempting them from inspections in other counties. Making health and fire certificates valid in other counties would enable vendors to work anywhere in the state more easily.
Sen. Dan Roberts, R-Mountain Brook, said he and others worked with multiple state agencies for more than two years on Senate Bill 197 after they heard from food truck vendors in their districts.
The Alabama Senate recently passed the bill, and it is now on the House of Representatives’ calendar.
This is exactly the sort of pro-business, red tape cutting bill the Legislature’s Republican supermajority should pass easily.
Food truck vendors would still need to follow local regulations and have a valid business license for each city or county in which they operate, but the bill would eliminate redundant, time consuming and sometimes costly health and fire inspections.
Currently, food truck operators must get health and fire inspections in every county in which they operate, which can be especially cumbersome for those who have expanded beyond operating a single truck.
William Farris — the owner of Wacky Dogs, a food truck which serves Korean corndogs — said he runs into these logistical issues. His home county is Lauderdale, but he also has certificates in Morgan and Cullman counties, as well as the state of Mississippi. He would eventually like to travel throughout Alabama, but as a full-time student at the University of North Alabama, he doesn’t have the time to travel everywhere for individual inspections.
He often receives requests to visit the Grub Lot in Russellville, but he hasn’t had time to become certified to sell in Franklin County.
“It does get kind of annoying, and also, it’s not the fact of having to seek all these people out; it’s having to be on their schedule,” Farris said. “If the fire department can’t get to you for three weeks, and there’s an event you need to get before then, you’re just out of luck because you don’t have your fire inspection.” And then there is the time local health and fire officials must spend repeating inspections already done elsewhere. Their time is better spent on local health issues and responding to emergencies than on redundant paperwork.
Many Alabama cities were initially reluctant to allow food trucks at all and only did so because of increasing demand from their residents. Even now, some cities and towns still have restrictions on food trucks that are unheard of in larger metro areas.
Under the bill, county health departments and fire officials would still have the option of inspecting food trucks whenever they choose. It also wouldn’t affect a county or municipality’s ability to enforce local regulations.
According to Roberts, statewide health and fire inspections would be applicable for six months before needing renewal. If passed, the bill would go into effect July 1.
As north Alabama continues to grow and attracts more outdoor events, food trucks are an increasingly important amenity. Senate Bill 197 would not only help food truck operators, but it would also help customers, too, by encouraging more truck operators to do business more frequently across county lines. That means more trucks, more variety and more competition.
