Monroe Township (Middlesex County), NJ Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

The Township Council's fee chapter, § 39-2, names mobile food sellers directly. Under licenses and permits from the Township Clerk's Office, the entry for Chapter 47, food establishments, sets Itinerant (seasonal and mobile) at $100 annually and retail food establishments at permanent locales at $200 annually. A separate special event temporary food license costs $50 and is valid for one to three days only. Section 39-2 states that all license fees are annual unless otherwise noted.

The license itself comes from Chapter 47. Section 47-3 makes it unlawful to conduct a retail food establishment, as defined in and governed by the Retail Food Establishment Code of New Jersey (1965), within the Township of Monroe without first procuring a license from the local Board of Health, or without complying with the operation and maintenance provisions of that Code. Under § 47-4, licenses are effective for one year, from January 1 until December 31, and the fee amounts live in Chapter 39 rather than in Chapter 47. Accredited schools, licensed nursing homes and rest centers within the Township are exempt from the license fee.

Chapter 48 confirms that mobile units sit inside the food licensing system. It defines a mobile retail food establishment as any movable restaurant, truck, van, trailer, cart, bicycle, watercraft, or other movable unit in or on which food or beverage is transported, stored, or prepared for retail sale or given away at temporary locations. Section 48-3 then requires supervisory personnel to hold food safety certification before potentially hazardous food is served.

Chapter 77 adds a separate layer. Section 77-3 requires a solicitation permit from the Township of Monroe for any peddler, solicitor, distributor or transient merchant selling for commercial purposes. Section 77-2 defines a peddler to include a person traveling by automotive vehicle and carrying merchandise to sell, and defines merchandise to include food and ice cream. The Chief of Police or designee approves or denies a complete application within 14 business days under § 77-5, and permits run for the requested period, not to exceed the current calendar year.