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Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Carson, CA (2026)

3 verified food trucks & mobile vendors rules for Carson, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.

Verified from official government sources

Food Truck Permits

Carson requires a business license and City permit for every mobile food truck, plus a public health operating permit, and bans vending within 1,500 feet of schools during school hours.

Carson Mobile Food Vendor Permit Rules

Some Restrictions

Carson Municipal Code § 63142 (C)(6)-(7)

A mobile food vendor shall not keep, maintain or operate any mobile food truck/vending vehicle upon any public street, parkway, alley, or highway within one thousand five hundred (1,500) feet of the boundaries of any public or private elementary or secondary school between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on any day when such school is in session. 7. A mobile food vendor must have a vali...

Vending Zones

Carson bars motorized food trucks from vending within 1,500 feet of a school during school hours, within twenty-five feet of a controlled intersection, and outside the 7 a.m.-to-10 p.m. selling window in the public right-of-way.

Carson Food Truck Location Rules

Some Restrictions

Carson Municipal Code § 63142(C)

A mobile food vendor may locate its vehicle in the public right-of-way as long as the mobile food vendor adheres to the following standards ... A mobile food vendor shall not keep, maintain or operate any mobile food truck/vending vehicle upon any public street, parkway, alley, or highway within one thousand five hundred (1,500) feet of the boundaries of any public or private elementary or seco...

Sidewalk & Mobile Vending

Carson's sidewalk vending ordinance requires a City business license and vendor permit, bans stationary carts in residential zones, and sets buffer distances from hydrants, doorways and driveways for anyone vending food from a pushcart or stand.

Carson Sidewalk Food Vendor Rules

Significant Restrictions

Carson Municipal Code § 31002

No sidewalk vendor shall operate without first obtaining and maintaining a valid City business license and a sidewalk vendor's permit ... It shall be unlawful ... for any sidewalk vendor to: ... Operate as a stationary sidewalk vendor at any time in any residential zone; ... Operate within: (a) fifty (50) feet of any fire hydrant; (b) twenty-five (25) feet of any transit stop; (c) twenty-five (...

Looking for Los Angeles County county-wide rules?

County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Carson city rules.

Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Los Angeles County