When Elaine Hosein and her family were looking to launch a food truck selling their homemade donuts, they thought about Washington, but quickly found that launching in Arlington would be the better option.

"It's way easier to set up in Arlington then DC," said Hosein, co-owner of food truck Mama's Donut Bites, which started operating in March. If proposed new regulations for food vendors in Arlington County take effect, starting a food truck in the county could be easier. The changes to the county's code relating to food trucks would extend the amount of time vendors can stay in one place from one hour to two and will allow for more flexibility where vendors can set up.

The county is hosting a public hearing April 20 to discuss the proposed changes to make the county more food truck friendly. If passed, Arlington could be the most headache-free option for rolling out a food truck in the Washington metro area.

"It's one of the more enlightened approaches to vending," said Doug Povich, the chairman of Food Truck Association of Metropolitan Washington. The organization has about 50 members and promotes food trucks in the region, and works with area local governments to create laws favorable to vendors. |Want to get articles on Arlington County delivered to your inbox every day? Sign up for the Clarendon Patch newsletter|

The regulations mark Arlington's next step in its evolving stance on food trucks. Before 2008, food trucks were only allowed to be on the curb for five minutes or less. That was revised to an hour, but that still may not be enough to accommodate the county's 100 licensed mobile food vendors.

"We've recognized that the hour is not sufficient for our vendors and the customers of vendors," said Jill Griffin, who is a commercial development specialist for Arlington's Economic Development office. "So we've been looking at this for a while."

The new regulations also allow the county manager more flexibility in judging where vendors would be allowed to park. Currently, vendors can't be parked beyond 1,200 feet of a Metro station. The Mama's Donut Bites truck parks near the Rosslyn Metro, and they will even hold a second parking spot using another car as a courtesy for other food vendors.