Maryland judge upholds ban on food trucks near restaurants

BALTIMORE (AP) - A Maryland judge is again ordering food truck operators to stay away from Baltimore’s restaurants.

Multiple media organizations report state Court of Special Appeals Judge Douglas R.M. Nazarian on Thursday overturned a lower court’s ruling that declared the ban too vague to enforce. The decision means mobile food vendors must park at least 300 feet from a restaurant or face $500 fines and the loss of their licenses.

Two Baltimore-area food truck owners challenged city council’s 2014 decision two years later, arguing the rule served only to protect existing businesses from competition.

City Solicitor Andre Davis told The Baltimore Sun the ordinance sought to balance economic interests.

A number of U.S. cities have been grappling with regulatory frameworks for food trucks.