Charleston, SC Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)

Charleston's Sec. 17-121 splits sidewalk food vending into two tracks. Inside the Old and Historic District, selling food, drink or reading material from a stationary cart or similar device on a city street, public parking space, right-of-way or sidewalk is unlawful except within a vendor space the department of traffic and transportation has surveyed, marked and city council has approved. The director surveys the district at least annually and may not designate a space within 100 feet of a church entrance or a residentially designated district, and must avoid clustering vendors too close to existing restaurants.

daily, first-come first-served, unless the city has franchised the location through a competitive bid capped at a one-year term. Every vendor needs a business license, a police-approved peddler's permit for themselves and any employee, and a decal displayed on the cart, plus a signed indemnification agreement with the city and payment of council-set space fees. The same designated-space rule and 100-foot buffer extend to stationary carts outside the historic district. A second set of rules in Sec. , must clear the truck and all equipment from the parcel at day's end, may not use a public address system to advertise, and must stay at least 10 feet from the public way to avoid blocking sidewalks or generating lines that obstruct pedestrian traffic.