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

Village of Ridgewood Code § 156-15A requires anyone selling, peddling or delivering food or beverages from a wagon, pushcart, truck or other vehicle, from house to house, or in any public place, to first obtain a license from the Division of Health. The license is item-specific: § 156-15A limits peddling, selling or delivering to only the articles of food covered by the license, so a vendor licensed for one type of food cannot add another category without amending the license. Fees run through Chapter 145, Fees, of the Village Code, and are annual, but under § 156-15B a license purchased mid-year covers only the balance of that calendar year rather than a full twelve months from purchase.

Once licensed, § 156-16 requires the vendor to display on the vehicle a plate or card furnished by the Division of Health proving the vehicle is permitted; an unmarked truck reads as unlicensed to any inspecting officer. The Division of Health can suspend or revoke the license under §§ 156-9 and 156-10 for violations of Chapter 156 or the State Sanitary Code, after written notice and a hearing. Selling without ever obtaining the license, or continuing after suspension, is enforced under § 156-22, Violations and penalties, which routes to the Chapter 1 general penalty in § 1-15: a fine up to $1,000, up to 90 days in the county jail, or up to 90 days of community service, at the Municipal Judge's discretion.

Vendors also remain subject to the minimum sanitary standards of § 156-18, covering food temperature, hand washing and vermin control, on top of the vehicle license itself.