Somerville, MA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Section 8-362 bars any person or business, including a religious or charitable group, from operating as a mobile food vendor in any public, private or restricted space without a license from the health division of the inspectional services department, conspicuously posted for customers; temporary event permits from the board of health are exempt. c. 40, § 22F, and a valid state hawker's license plus any applicable local board of health license before the city will issue anything; if the state license lapses or is revoked, the mobile food vendor license automatically becomes void and the licensee must notify the city clerk within ten days or be in violation.

Licenses renew annually under Sec. 8-364, but renewal never guarantees the same route or location. Section 8-365 has reviewers weigh the proposed menu, hours and location's public good, plus impacts on noise, traffic, congestion, parking and nearby restaurants' competitive position. Section 8-366 layers on operating conditions: vendors are encouraged to offer compostable serviceware, no styrofoam is allowed, every truck must supply a public waste container it empties at its own expense, vendors must inspect and clear litter within 100 feet, hours are locked to the approved application, no items may sit on the public sidewalk without council approval, and a truck can't park within 50 feet of a restaurant entrance without that restaurant's written consent. Section 8-367 makes the license personal and non-transferable for value.