Brockton, MA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- Registration
- Name and residence filed with police department
- ID display
- Assigned number worn or shown, 2-inch letters minimum
- License
- Issued by mayor and city council
- Fee cap
- Capped by G.L. c. 101, § 22
- Time limit
- Max 10 minutes stationary within 200 feet
Summary
Anyone hawking or peddling goods on a Brockton sidewalk must register with the police department and hold a license from the mayor and city council before making a sale, and cannot stay in one spot, or within 200 feet of it, for more than ten minutes unless actively completing a sale.
No hawker or peddler subject to the regulations of the mayor and council under the provisions of section 17 of chapter 101 of the general laws, shall sell, barter or expose for sale or barter within the city, any of the articles the sale or barter of which is subject to regulation under such section 17, until he has recorded his name and residence with the police department and has been assigned a number to be worn or exposed in such manner as the mayor and council shall prescribe. ... No hawker or peddler who is subject to license by the city pursuant to the provisions of General Laws, chapter 101, section 17 shall sell, barter, or expose for sale or barter, any of the articles, the sale or barter of which is subject to license under such section 17, without a license issued by the mayor and council. ... No hawker or peddler shall, while offering or exposing goods, wares or other merchandise for sale, remain in one place or within two hundred (200) feet thereof for longer than ten (10) minutes unless actually engaged in making a sale.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 28).
Full Breakdown
c. 101, §§ 17 and 22, sets the ground rules for foot and pushcart vendors selling directly on Brockton streets and sidewalks. Section 11-23 bars a hawker or peddler covered by state section 17 from selling, bartering, or exposing goods for sale in the city until they have recorded their name and residence with the police department and been assigned a number to wear or display as the mayor and council prescribe. Section 11-24 extends that identification requirement to any vehicle or conveyance used: the peddler's name and assigned number must be displayed on it in characters at least two inches tall.
c. 101, § 22. Section 11-26 then limits how long a vendor can occupy a single spot: no hawker or peddler may remain in one place, or within two hundred feet of it, for more than ten minutes unless they are actually engaged in making a sale at that moment. These provisions trace back to the 1965 code (§§ 12-8, 12-9, 14-9) and are enforced by the Brockton Police Department, separate from the board of health's motorized food truck permit under Article XVII.
Violations & Fines
The code does not set a flat dollar fine for peddling violations; selling without recording your name and residence with police under Section 11-23, or without a mayor-and-council license under Section 11-25, is unlawful conduct the police department can act on directly. Overstaying the ten-minute limit within 200 feet under Section 11-26 is a separate violation each time it recurs, unless a sale is actively taking place at that moment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to sell goods from a cart on a Brockton sidewalk?
How long can I stay in one spot while vending?
Is a motorized food truck covered by these same peddler rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brockton
Compare Brockton to another location·View the Massachusetts food trucks & mobile vendors overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.