Maryland Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Baltimore City’s ‘300-foot rule’ for food trucks.

The law, passed in 2014, prohibits all mobile vendors from operating within 300 feet of a competing brick and mortar establishment. Violators can be fined or have their licenses revoked. Though typically violators are asked to relocate or change menus.

The court rejected arguments from the food trucks that the rule violated their constitutional rights.

The Baltimore Sun reports:

The court said the law, which prohibits mobile vendors from operating within 300 feet of a competing retail establishment, is constitutional because it is not “arbitrary, oppressive or unreasonable.”

“The City acted rationally when it balanced the competing interests of mobile vendors and brick-and-mortar restaurants and enacted the 300-foot rule to further its legitimate interest in promoting the vibrancy of its commercial districts,” Judge Jonathan Biran wrote in the court’s opinion.

For more information:

Maryland’s highest court rules against food trucks, upholds Baltimore City’s ’300-foot rule’ (The Baltimore Sun)