The Town of Greenback is moving toward its first formal food truck regulations, a step town officials say is less about cracking down on vendors than getting ahead of anticipated growth before a problem arises.
The topic is expected to come before the town board for discussion as soon as its next meeting, according to City Recorder April Lewellyn. No ordinance currently exists — food trucks have operated in town without written rules — and officials say the goal is to formalize safety standards that responsible vendors are likely already following.
“It’s just safety precautions for when we have food trucks within town limits,” Lewellyn said. “It’s probably already the same safety protocols they’re already following. We just want to make sure that when people come to events, everything is safe.”
Safety Director Tim McCarter said attendance at a Fire Academy training course on mobile food operations sharpened his awareness of the risks packed into a food truck’s confined space — open flames, hot cooking surfaces, pressurized propane, and grease, all in close quarters.
The proposed framework would draw from three national standards published by the National Fire Protection Association: NFPA 96, which governs mobile and temporary cooking operations; NFPA 1, which sets overarching site spacing and operational rules for mobile food vehicles; and NFPA 58, which covers propane storage.
McCarter said Greenback plans to adopt those standards as a baseline and customize the ordinance to fit the town.
Key provisions under consideration include proper fire extinguisher requirements, limits on propane stored on-site, and minimum distance rules separating trucks from nearby structures and each other.
At least one local operator agrees the town is on the right track. Aaron “AJ” Jenkins, owner of AJ’s Smoke and Spice food truck, said food trucks present fire risks that fixed restaurants don’t.
“I think you do have to have a little bit more stringent regulations with a food truck,” Jenkins said. “I think most of the food trucks that I know of in this area are following the regulations when it comes to fire safety, for sure.”
Jenkins noted that the city of Maryville already requires a fire inspection before issuing a food truck permit — a model Greenback appears to be moving toward.
He added that insurance carriers also have requirements food truck operators must meet to qualify for coverage.
“For the ones of us who do follow the rules to the T, I think it kind of weeds out some of the ones that don’t follow those rules like they should,” he said.
Health inspections would remain a state-level function and are not part of the proposed local ordinance. The town’s focus is fire and life safety.
Lewellyn noted that the push reflects broader momentum in Greenback, where community events have drawn growing crowds in recent months.
“We wanted to get more out here and get more community inclusion,” she said, “and it looks like it’s working.”
