SB 197 Alabama Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Food trucks and other mobile food vendors; require one health inspection and fire inspection to apply statewide

SB 197 requires mobile food vendors (like food trucks and carts) to obtain one statewide health inspection and one statewide fire inspection instead of separate local inspections in each county or municipality they operate in. This exempts vendors from needing additional inspections when traveling across the state, effective January 1, 2027. The State Fire Marshal must create a uniform fire inspection process meeting specific safety standards (like hood systems and gas safety) and maintain a list of authorized inspectors. Vendors operating without valid health and fire certificates face Class C misdemeanor penalties, with a 30-day operating ban for repeat violations. The bill directly affects mobile food vendors and local jurisdictions by standardizing inspection requirements statewide.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Passage

Apr 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Jan 21, 2026 Signed Apr 9, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Engrossed → Enrolled · 3 edits · Apr 9, 2026

MINOR

The bill was finalized as an enrolled act, moving from a draft version to the official version ready for signing. The core policy regarding mobile food vendor inspections and exemptions remained unchanged, but the text was reorganized to align with standard legislative formatting and numbering conventions.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; the content is identical to the engrossed version.

TECHNICAL

The bill title and bill number were updated from 'Engrossed' to 'Enrolled' and the bill number was changed from 4UGNF3R-2 to 4UGNF3R-3 to reflect the final version.

Line numbering and page headers were adjusted to conform to the official enrolled format, removing the 'Engrossed' label and adding certification signatures for the Senate and House.

Minor reordering of clauses within Section 1 occurred to improve flow, such as moving the definition of 'IFC Mobile Food Preparation Vehicles Provisions' to appear before the definition of 'Mobile Food Unit'.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 2, 2026

Lower · Passed

Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 1185

lower

Feb 25, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported Out of Committee Second House

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

Pending Committee Action in Second House (Health)

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 473

upper

Feb 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

Roberts motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 472

upper

Feb 19, 2026

Introduced

Roberts 1st Amendment Offered

upper

Jan 28, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

upper

Jan 21, 2026

Upper · Passed

Pending Committee Action in House of Origin (County and Municipal Government)

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors