Perth Amboy, NJ Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Mobile peddler license fee
- $200, including a $50 nonrefundable processing fee
- Per-employee fee
- $25 for each employee operating under the license
- License term
- 180 days, March 1 to October 31
- Application deadline
- November 15 of the preceding year
- Food permit
- City Department of Health, in addition to the license
- Propane use
- Fire Prevention Bureau permit required
Summary
In the City of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, a mobile food vendor needs a peddler license from the City Clerk and a food permit from the City Department of Health, plus a Fire Prevention Bureau permit when propane is used to prepare food. The mobile license costs $200, the City caps mobile licenses at fourteen, and operation is limited to 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
§ 317-2. License required; exceptions. ... B. All peddlers or vendors as described in this Article, including those described in Subsections C and D of this section, shall apply for a permit with the Fire Prevention Bureau and pay an annual fee in accordance with N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.7(a)(4)(iv)(5) and N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.9(c)(2) when such peddler uses propane in the preparation of food. ... § 317-2.4. Mobile peddlers — not to exceed fourteen (14). ... A. No peddler shall be permitted to sell or dispose of, or exhibit or offer to sell or dispose of, any goods, wares, services or merchandise while moving about the city without first obtaining a mobile peddler license. B. Vehicles or carts used by mobile peddlers shall not remain stationary and shall be moved every fifteen (15) minutes. ... § 317-17. License required to obtain food handler's permit. No peddler or transient merchant shall sell, or exhibit or offer to sell, any food or drink intended for human consumption before properly receiving and maintaining a permit to do so from the Department of Health for the City. Such permit shall be in addition to and not in lieu of any license required pursuant to this Article.
Full Breakdown
Food trucks and carts in the City of Perth Amboy are licensed as peddlers under Chapter 317, Article I. A peddler under § 317-1 includes anyone who carries goods, wares, merchandise, food or perishable items for sale from motorized vehicles. A mobile peddler license is required to sell while moving about the city (§ 317-2.4), and the City caps mobile licenses at fourteen (14).
Three separate approvals can apply. The City Clerk issues the peddler license (§ 317-2A). Every peddler who uses propane in food preparation must also apply for a Fire Prevention Bureau permit and pay the annual fee set by N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.7(a)(4)(iv)(5) and N.J.A.C. 5:70-2.9(c)(2) (§ 317-2B). And no peddler can sell food or drink for human consumption without a permit from the City Department of Health, which is in addition to the license (§ 317-17).
Fees and terms are set by § 317-9: a mobile peddler pays $200, including a $50 nonrefundable processing fee, plus $25 for each employee operating under the license. Licenses last 180 days, and licensees cannot start before March 1 or run past October 31. Applications are due to the City Clerk by November 15 of the preceding year (§ 317-8). Each applicant and employee pays a $25 nonrefundable local background check fee, submits three photos of 2 inches by 3 inches, and pays the State separately for fingerprinting. If applications outnumber licenses, the Clerk holds a lottery.
Insurance is mandatory under § 317-4: not less than $100,000 for bodily injury or death to another person in a single incident, $300,000 for all persons in an accident, $5,000 for property damage to any one person and $50,000 for property damage to all persons. The license is effective only while the policy stays in force.
Operating rules in §§ 317-18 and 317-18.1: trash is removed daily, no music while stopped or serving customers, and hours run 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. A sidewalk cart cannot exceed 2 feet wide, 4 feet long and 4 feet high including wheels. Each licensed vehicle carries a permit reading Licensed Peddler, City of Perth Amboy (§ 317-11).
Violations & Fines
Selling without the required license violates Article I and is punishable under § 317-20 by a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $1,000, imprisonment not exceeding 90 days, or both, with each day a separate offense. Under § 317-18.2 every peddler must also comply with all other City ordinances, including Health Department regulations, and § 317-19 lets the Chief or Deputy Chief of Police suspend or revoke a license for just cause after written notice and a hearing opportunity.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
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