MARSHALL — More food truck businesses in Marshall will have to get city licenses under updated ordinances approved this week.

At the same time, Marshall City Council members said the new rules will also correct language in the old ordinances that prevented ice cream trucks from operating in Marshall neighborhoods.

Members of the Marshall City Council voted to pass amended ordinances governing mobile food carts and units, during their regular meeting Tuesday. Marshall City Attorney Pam Whitmore said the city’s existing food truck ordinances were created so the city would have a way to register and keep track of mobile food businesses. The new ordinance language would help the city keep up with that purpose, as the number of food trucks has grown.

Materials in Tuesday’s council agenda packet said the new ordinances would also be fair to the brick-and-mortar restaurants that pay Marshall property taxes and contribute to the local economy.

“We feel this is a good ordinance,” said city council and Legislative and Ordinance committee member James Lozinski.

Under the old ordinance language, food trucks needed to get a temporary license from the city if they operated in Marshall for more than 21 days a year. The new language shortens that time period — mobile food businesses will need to register with the city and get a temporary license if they operate in Marshall for more than seven days a year.

In addition, food trucks will only be able to operate on private property, and will need to vacate the property each night, unless they have a special event permit from the city. An exception would be for mobile food businesses operating at the Lyon County Fair.

Lozinski said the new ordinance language also makes some special provisions that would allow ice cream trucks to operate in residential areas. Marshall city staff had pointed out that the old ordinance language did not allow the bells or music that ice cream trucks often play, Lozinski said.

Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes said the ordinance updates were keeping up with the popularity of food trucks in the Marshall area.

“When the ordinance was first adopted, food trucks were new. Now they have become more popular,” Byrnes said. “It’s become more of a natural update.”