Bergenfield, NJ Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Section 344-29 of the Bergenfield Sanitary Code defines a 'mobile food vendor' as anyone selling non-prepackaged prepared food or beverages from a nonpermanent location, whether from a truck, van, trailer, or pushcart, excluding farmers'-market produce sellers, deliveries from a fixed licensed establishment, ice cream vendors regulated separately under Chapter 227, and sellers of prepackaged food other than hot coffee, cocoa, or tea. Subsection B requires an annual mobile food vendor license from the Department of Health, valid for 365 days, at a fee of $150, and caps the Borough at a maximum of 10 licenses at any time; once that cap is reached, the Department keeps a waiting list and offers newly available licenses first-come, first-served, giving an applicant five business days to apply once notified.

Vendors must display the license, a New Jersey Division of Taxation certificate of registration, and a location-specific operating permit at all times, and licenses cannot be sold, leased, or transferred. Subsection E confines where trucks may operate: on private commercial, industrial, or office property, they're limited to the Borough's M and B-2 zones, must sit at least 100 feet from the entrance of any restaurant, luncheonette, or tavern serving food, and need a zoning permit from the Department of Building, Housing and Land Use, valid up to 90 days and renewable, at $50 per permit, with only one vendor allowed per property at a time.

Public property, parks, and residential property are otherwise off-limits absent Borough Administrator authorization for a special event, and public streets and sidewalks are flatly prohibited under subsection E(4) except for limited case-by-case exceptions the Administrator may grant. , and forbids any dining furniture. Vendors using an open flame or a tent 30 feet or longer must also obtain a Type I fire permit from the Bergenfield Fire Department's Bureau of Fire Prevention.