SEATTLE — Since January, King County has ramped up enforcement on mobile food vendors , launching new rules and expanding its food safety rating system in response to a sharp rise in unpermitted street food carts.

So far this year, King County Public Health has shut down 122 illegal food vendors, already exceeding 2024’s total of 111 closures. That marks a nearly 350% increase from just 27 shutdowns in 2023.

In response, the county rolled out a new set of requirements at the start of 2025. All mobile food vendors must now display:

A Public Health permit sticker

A food safety rating sheet (or a “Pending” sign if awaiting inspection)

A functioning hand-washing station

If any of these signs are missing, officials say that’s a clear red flag for customers.

"Food safety is a behaviora

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