Amherst, NY Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Chapter 148 of the Town Code, the Peddling, Soliciting, Transient Businesses and Mobile Food Vending law, requires a permit for every mobile food vehicle before it can operate anywhere in Amherst. Section 148-10F(1) makes it unlawful to conduct business from a mobile food vehicle or mobile food unit within a public right-of-way or on private property without a valid permit for that specific vehicle; a vendor running three trucks needs three permits. The application, described in § 148-7, must list the applicant's name and address, a description of the vehicle including its VIN and registration, proof of sales-tax registration, and, if the truck will sit on private property, the property owner's written consent.

The Town Clerk forwards mobile food vendor applications to the Building Department for review under § 148-8, which has ten business days to report back, and the Building Department also handles primary enforcement of the mobile food rules under § 148-14. Fees under § 148-9 run $250 for the first year, which covers one vehicle, another $250 for each additional vehicle, $250 for a renewal under § 148-10B, or $100 for a single event, capped at one such event permit per calendar year. Once issued, a mobile food vendor permit is good for one year, unlike the ninety-day term given to peddler and solicitor permits, but it does not transfer to a new owner or vehicle.

Section 148-10F(9) requires an annual Building Department inspection of every mobile food vehicle for fire and life safety code compliance, and F(11) requires the vehicle itself to be registered as a commercial vehicle with the New York State DMV.