Stamford, CT Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Food Truck Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Annual permit fee
- $200 per calendar year
- One-day permit fee
- $125 per 24-hour day
- Insurance minimum
- $1,000,000 liability coverage
- Permitting agency
- Cashiering and Permitting Department
- Permit expiration
- December 31 of issue year
- Veteran fee exemption
- Conn. Gen. Stat. § 21-30
- Max fine per violation
- $200 per day
Summary
Stamford requires every mobile food vendor to hold a permit from the Cashiering and Permitting Department before vending on any public street, under City Code § 179-32. Annual permits cost $200, one-day permits $125, and applicants face a criminal background check plus a $1 million insurance requirement enforced by the Stamford Food Truck Committee.
"Mobile Food Vendor" means any person, whether principal or agent, who operates a licensed, motorized vehicle, truck or trailer, which is temporarily parked on premises, to vend, sell, offer for sale, solicit orders, display or otherwise serve food for human consumption to the public... No mobile food vendor shall vend on a public street within the City of Stamford, or any land abutting such streets, without first obtaining a permit from the City of Stamford Cashiering and Permitting Department... The fee for the issuance of a one-year mobile food vendor's permit shall be $200 per calendar year. The fee for the issuance of a one-day mobile food vendor's permit shall be $125.00 per each twenty-four-hour day. The fee provisions of this article shall not apply to any veteran entitled to an exemption pursuant to Section 21-30 of the Connecticut General Statutes. The fee provisions of this article may be waived by the Board of Representatives upon request of a local charitable organization.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 72).
Full Breakdown
Under § 179-32 of the Code of Ordinances, no mobile food vendor may vend on a public street within Stamford, or on any land abutting such streets, without a permit from the Cashiering and Permitting Department. Section 179-31 defines a "Mobile Food Vendor" as any person operating a licensed, motorized vehicle, truck or trailer temporarily parked on premises to sell food to the public. Before applying, the vendor must first obtain a Health Department permit and a Connecticut sales and use tax permit under Conn.
Gen. A). C, F). D-E). Fees are set by § 179-35: $200 for a one-year permit valid through December 31 of the issuing year, or $125 for a one-day permit; the fee is waived for veterans under Conn. Gen. § 21-30 and may be waived by the Board of Representatives for local charitable organizations. Permits are non-transferable and valid for only one vendor (§ 179-37). The seven-member Stamford Food Truck Committee, drawing on the Police Department, Cashiering and Permitting, the Health Department, the Transportation Bureau and the Board of Representatives, adopts implementing rules (§ 179-33).
The Cashiering and Permitting Department may deny or revoke a permit for false information, missing information, or a disqualifying felony or sex-offender conviction within five years (§ 179-36).
Violations & Fines
Vending without a permit, or violating any Article IV provision or FTC rule, carries a fine up to $200 per offense; each act of unpermitted vending and each day of violation is a separate offense under § 179-42. The Cashiering and Permitting Department may revoke a permit for up to twelve months for fraud, wrongful procurement, or three violations within twelve months, only after a hearing before the FTC, whose decision is final (§ 179-43).
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Stamford
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