Caldwell, ID Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)

Caldwell City Code section 06-05-09 conditions a food peddler's license on health certification: when an applicant proposes to peddle any food or product for human consumption, certification by the Southwest health district is required before the city issues the license. That requirement sits inside Article 6-5's general peddler and door-to-door salesperson licensing scheme, so a mobile food seller working the sidewalk must also meet the article's other terms: filing an application with the city clerk describing the goods sold, showing an Idaho resale number, submitting a passport photo, and passing the fingerprint-based background check required by section 06-05-07 unless the applicant is under 18, in which case a locally administered check applies.

Section 06-05-08 then governs where a licensed food peddler can operate: no licensee has any right to a fixed, regular location in a public street or right of way, and a police officer's judgment on whether an area is congested or the public is impeded is conclusive. Business is also barred wherever the city zoning code prohibits it, and in any city park, building, or adjacent grounds. Within the Indian Creek Plaza area, bounded by 5th Avenue, 10th Avenue, the Union Pacific Railroad, and Blaine Street, the plaza operator controls peddling and can require proof of insurance before a vendor begins, subject to the city clerk's override authority.

A food peddler operating within a designated parade route needs prior approval from the Planning and Zoning Department for a Temporary Vendor's License allowing operation on private property inside that route. The per-person license fee is set by city council resolution and the license, valid twelve months, must be carried and displayed conspicuously if the vendor uses a vehicle or cart.