Detroit, MI Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum sidewalk width
- 10 feet, curb to property line
- Unobstructed pedestrian path
- 6 feet minimum
- Setback from doors/driveways/hydrants
- 20 feet
- Distance from competing business
- 100 feet (stationary/foot)
- Vending curfew
- 11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
Summary
Detroit requires stationary and foot sidewalk vendors to keep a 10-foot-wide sidewalk, a 6-foot clear path, and stay 100 feet from any competing storefront and 20 feet from doorways, driveways, crosswalks, and hydrants.
(k)Stationary vendors and street vendors shall not engage in any vending business on, or at, any sidewalk unless such sidewalk has a minimum width of at least ten feet measured from the curb line to the boundary of any private property.(l)Vendors shall not place removable stands or food pushcarts upon any sidewalk unless the sidewalk has at least a six-foot unobstructed pedestrian path to be measured from the removable stand or food pushcart to the boundary of any private properly.(m)Vendors shall not place removable stands or food pushcarts within two feet of the curb line of any sidewalk.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 4).
Full Breakdown
Under Detroit City Code Chapter 34, Article I, stationary vendors (removable stands, food pushcarts) and foot vendors may only set up on a sidewalk at least 10 feet wide, must leave a 6-foot unobstructed pedestrian path, and must stay 2 feet off the curb line. Stands and carts must sit 20 feet from any building entrance, driveway, corner, sidewalk cafe, bus stop, crosswalk, or fire hydrant, and 100 feet from the door of a business selling the same goods unless that business signs a waiver. Stationary/foot vending is barred 11 p.m.-7 a.m., within 200 feet of a K-12 school, and outside downtown on sidewalks abutting residentially-zoned property. A license from the Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department Business License Center is required, and the number issued is capped by "public convenience and necessity."
Violations & Fines
A Detroit Code violation is a misdemeanor under Sec. 34-1-2, punishable by up to a $500 fine and 90 days in jail, with each day of continued violation charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set up a food cart on any Detroit sidewalk?
How close can a sidewalk vendor be to a competing store?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Detroit
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Sidewalk & Mobile Vending in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wayne County handle sidewalk & mobile vending.