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

Edison's mobile-food-vendor framework is built from existing chapters rather than a dedicated food-truck ordinance. Chapter 11 (General Licensing and Business Regulations) of the Edison Code is the licensing instrument: §11-1 makes it unlawful for any 'peddler, transient merchant, transient merchant peddler, merchant peddler, canvasser, door-to-door solicitor, or persons owning, managing or operating a new business' to sell goods, wares, merchandise, or services in the Township without first obtaining a license from the Township Clerk, and §11-1.3 provides additional age- and conduct-related restrictions on canvassers and solicitors. The license is the standard Chapter 11 identification badge with provision for a photograph (1.5 x 2 inches), with a refundable $2 badge deposit; the substantive fee schedule and renewal cycle are set in the chapter. Chapter 12 (Health Regulations and Licensing) is the second layer: any vendor preparing or serving food to the public is a 'Retail Food Establishment' under N.J.A.C. 8:24 (Chapter 24 of the New Jersey State Sanitary Code, 'Sanitation in Retail Food Establishments and Food and Beverage Vending Machines') and must obtain a Retail Food Establishment license from the Edison Division of Health before operating. The Division of Health performs the plan review, vehicle inspection (including hot- and cold-holding temperatures, water supply, three-compartment sink or equivalent, mechanical refrigeration, propane fuel storage, and waste handling), and ongoing inspection 'as often as necessary' under Chapter 12; operators 'shall permit access to all parts of the establishment, and shall make available all records of food purchased upon request.' The license is annual. Each food truck operator must also hold a New Jersey Food Handler Certification through an ANSI-accredited program for the certified person in charge, register with the New Jersey Division of Taxation for Sales Tax (food sold for off-premises consumption is generally exempt; prepared food for immediate consumption is taxable at 6.625%), maintain a commercial driver license where vehicle weight requires, and carry the standard NJ commercial automobile insurance. Operation on a New Jersey state highway right-of-way or on a Middlesex County roadway in Edison requires separate NJDOT or Middlesex County right-of-way clearance. Operation at a private property (a brewery lot, an industrial park, a hospital campus) requires the property owner's authorization. Operation at a Township event or in a Township park requires a separate Recreation Division permit and may be tied to a specific event call.