Brentwood, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issuer
- City finance department
- Permit term
- One calendar year, no proration
- Cart size limit
- 15 sq ft, 5 ft per side
- Buffer from farmers markets
- 300 feet during operating hours
- First-offense fine (no permit)
- $250
Summary
Brentwood requires a city sidewalk vending permit under Municipal Code Chapter 5.64 before anyone sells food or goods from a cart or on foot on public sidewalks. Vending is limited to set hours, kept 300 feet from farmers markets and permitted special events, and banned from residential-zoned stationary sites.
No person, either for themselves or any other person, shall conduct or engage in sidewalk vending within the city without first obtaining a sidewalk vending permit pursuant to this chapter, unless otherwise approved as part of a special event permit (BMC Section 7.02.020) issued by the city of Brentwood. ... In residential areas (zoned exclusively for residential use), sidewalk vending shall be permitted between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4604307; v5 updated 2025-12-09).
Full Breakdown
030 makes it unlawful to conduct sidewalk vending in the city without a permit issued by the finance department, backed by a nonrefundable application fee set by city council resolution. Applicants must provide identification, a photo, proof of a city business tax certificate, liability insurance of at least one million dollars, a state seller's permit, and, where applicable, a Contra Costa County health department permit and criminal history disclosures covering the prior five years. 050 makes the permit valid for one calendar year with no proration, tied to renewal of the business tax certificate.
100 bars stationary or roaming vendors within three hundred feet of a permitted certified farmers' market or swap meet during its operating hours, and within three hundred feet of a temporary special event area for the event's duration. 110 prohibits stationary vending in areas zoned exclusively residential (roaming vendors are not covered by that ban) and anywhere the remaining sidewalk clearance would fall below forty-eight inches. elsewhere, requires four feet of pedestrian clearance at all times, caps cart size at fifteen square feet and five feet on any side, and lists specific buffers, including twenty-five feet from crosswalks, fire hydrants and bus stops, and one hundred feet from a freeway ramp or active emergency personnel. Vendors may not sell alcohol, cannabis, tobacco, adult material, weapons, or live animals, and may not vend from a parked vehicle.
Violations & Fines
Section 5.64.130 makes violations by a permitted vendor punishable only by an administrative fine: one hundred dollars for a first violation, two hundred dollars for a second within a year, and five hundred dollars for each further violation within that year, with permit rescission possible on a fourth violation. Vending without a valid permit at all draws a higher fine, starting at two hundred fifty dollars for a first offense. Appeals go to the city manager within fifteen days under Section 5.64.070.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to sell food from a cart on a Brentwood sidewalk?
What hours can sidewalk vendors operate in Brentwood?
How close can a vendor set up to a farmers market in Brentwood?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brentwood
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Sidewalk & Mobile Vending in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Contra Costa County handle sidewalk & mobile vending.