Southampton, NY Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)

Southampton Town Code § 330-162.20 defines an accessory vending vehicle as a motorized, self-propelled mobile vehicle that substantially prepares and sells food to the public, and requires it to be licensed under the same name as the primary restaurant use. A stand-alone food truck with no adjoining restaurant has no path to a permit under this section. An accessory vending vehicle attached to an existing or new restaurant goes through site plan review; if the restaurant already holds an approved site plan, the addition is instead handled through administrative site plan review under §§ 330-183.2 and 330-183.3, with the Town Planning and Development Administrator able to assume the Planning Board's authority under §§ 330-120 through 330-123.

The operator must also obtain all required licenses and permits for the vehicle, including Suffolk County Department of Health Services business certificates and/or a Southampton peddler's license, and must comply with the Town's sign standards under Article XXII. The truck may only run in the restaurant's own parking lot, in a spot that does not block circulation, and only while the restaurant itself is closed to the public. When not operating, it must be stored in a rear-lot truck stall at least 12 feet by 25 feet, screened from the public right-of-way.

Accessory outdoor seating is capped at 16 people, amplified music is banned, no extra permanent outdoor lighting is allowed beyond the restaurant's approved lighting plan, and no alcohol may be sold from the truck. Operators must remove their own trash and post a litter receptacle for patrons.