Columbus, IN Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)

Section 5.04.070 of the Columbus Municipal Code sets the operating rules for every licensed food vendor in the City of Columbus, Indiana. These rules apply on top of the license itself, and they apply even to a vendor who is exempt from licensing because of a registered retail merchant's certificate under Indiana Code 6-25.

Curbside rule: whenever a wagon, motor vehicle or pushcart is used to sell food, beverage or other items for human consumption, it must be parked flush with the curb of the street in compliance with all applicable state statutes and local ordinances. All sales must be made only from the side of the vehicle next to the curb or sidewalk. Sales from any vehicle are not permitted on any alley.

Time limit: subsection E bars a licensee from selling or offering for sale any products, merchandise, food or beverages in any block on any public street or sidewalk for longer than one hour. The code does not say how long the vendor must stay away before returning, so a vendor planning a route should treat the one hour limit as a hard cap per block.

Noise: subsection F prohibits selling or offering items for sale by outcry, ringing of bells, playing of music, or any other noise. That rules out the music box or bell that ice cream trucks use.

Sanitation: subsection C requires the wagon, vehicle or push cart to be kept in clean and sanitary condition and to be thoroughly cleaned every day it is used. It is unlawful to let stale food, decaying matter or other waste accumulate in or on the vehicle while it is used for sales.

The license must be available for inspection on request while vending, and a complaint about a violation can be filed with the Columbus Police Department.