Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Shelby County, TN (2026)
3 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 1 city in Shelby County, Tennessee.
Verified from official government sources
Food Truck Permits
Operating a food truck in unincorporated Shelby County requires a permit for each vehicle from the county health department, backed by a $150.00 application fee and a $150.00 annual renewal fee. County Code § 8-682 sets the licensing conditions on top of Tennessee Department of Health food-safety rules.
Mobile Food Truck Permits in Shelby County
Some RestrictionsShelby County Code § 8-682(b)
No person shall engage in the business of operating a mobile food preparation vehicle without first having obtained a permit for each vehicle from the county health department and complying with all regulations for such businesses established by this state. The application for a permit shall be accompanied by a $150.00 application fee for each mobile food preparation vehicle. A permit may be re...
Vending Zones
Shelby County limits mobile food trucks to specific zoning districts, plus set distances from schools, restaurants, and permitted special events. County Code § 8-681 spells out the allowed 'parking location' zones, and § 8-683(d) adds the 300-foot and 1,000-foot buffers that keep trucks away from competitors and scheduled events.
Where Food Trucks Can Park in Shelby County
Some RestrictionsShelby County Code § 8-681
Parking location means the location where a mobile food preparation vehicle is parked when such vehicle is stopped for the purposes of preparing, selling, or dispensing food to consumers, which shall include, but not be limited to, county streets, alleys, and other public roadways within the office general (OG); commercial mixed use 1, 2 and 3 (CMU-1, CMU-2 and CMU-3); campus master plan -1 and...
Sidewalk & Mobile Vending
Selling food or drinks directly off public streets, highways or rights-of-way in unincorporated Shelby County is unlawful under the county's itinerant vendor and peddler ordinance, unless another part of the code specifically allows it. The same section also bars peddling from a vehicle, setting up sidewalk stands, or selling to occupants of passing cars.
Sidewalk Food Vending Ban in Shelby County
Heavy RestrictionsShelby County Code § 8-186
The following activities shall be unlawful: (1) Peddling, huckstering or hawking by vehicle or movable receptacle on streets, highways, rights-of-way, and public places, except as may be otherwise regulated in this Code. (2) Erection of stands or similar receptacles on public streets, highways, rights-of-way, and public places for purposes of giving away, displaying, and/or buying or selling of...
Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors by City in Shelby County
1 cities in Shelby County have their own food trucks & mobile vendors rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
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