Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Tempe, AZ (2026)
3 verified food trucks & mobile vendors rules for Tempe, Arizona, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Food Truck Permits
Operating a food truck in Tempe requires a mobile merchant permit under Section 24-26, plus an identification card for each worker, $1 million in liability insurance, and Tempe Police fingerprinting under Section 24-27. Trucks also face location, hour and school-proximity restrictions under Section 24-29.
Tempe Mobile Food Unit Permit
Some RestrictionsTempe City Code § 24-26
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to act within the City as a mobile merchant without first obtaining a permit authorizing such activity.(b)It shall be unlawful for any person to carry on activity within the City as a mobile merchant unless the vehicle at or adjacent to which sales of tangible personal property are made bears a valid mobile merchant permit prominently displayed within the ...
Vending Zones
Tempe bans mobile food vending from vehicles on arterial streets and inside the downtown core bounded by Farmer, College, University and Tempe Town Lake, and bars sales in public parks or on city property except through a City-run bid process, per Sec. 24-29 of the City Code.
Tempe Mobile Food Vending Zone Limits
Significant RestrictionsTempe City Code § 24-29(a), (f)
(a)It shall be unlawful to sell any type of tangible personal property from a vehicle upon any arterial street as defined by ordinance, and it shall be unlawful to sell any type of tangible personal property from a vehicle upon any street within an area bounded by, and including, the streets of Farmer Avenue on the west, College Avenue on the east, University Drive on the south, and Tempe Town ...
Sidewalk & Mobile Vending
Selling food from a cart, stand or vehicle on a Tempe sidewalk, right-of-way or city-owned property is unlawful unless the vendor holds a permit under City Code Chapter 24. Vending under the guise of a donation drive with a de facto minimum price is treated the same as an unpermitted sale.
Tempe Sidewalk Food Vending Rules
Significant RestrictionsTempe City Code § 24-19
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in vending on any public sidewalk, right of way or city-owned property unless authorized pursuant to this article.(b)It is not a defense to a violation of this section that the vending activity is offered on a donation basis, if there is credible evidence that the items offered for donation are subject to any minimum purchase price.(c)Any person ...
Looking for Maricopa County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Tempe city rules.
Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Maricopa County →