East Brunswick, NJ Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)

Section 135-24 sits in Chapter 135, Article III, which governs peddlers, solicitors and itinerant vendors. A peddler is defined as a person who goes from home to home or from place to place, whether on foot or in a vehicle, selling or renting and delivering goods and services, so the license requirement in § 135-20 and the $50 per person per year fee in § 135-21 cover a food seller working the street. The vehicle rule limits what a licensee can sell from a vehicle to food or beverages, and the licensee must work from the curb side of the vehicle.

Hours come from § 135-22. Licensees cannot do business before 9:00 a.m. or after 6:00 p.m. on weekdays, but peddlers selling manufactured ready-to-eat food products such as ice cream or custard can operate from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. any day, including Sunday. The code says that exception is strictly construed. Under § 135-23, no peddler can shout, blow a horn, ring an electronically actuated bell or use a loudspeaker to attract customers, except for bells commonly used on ice cream trucks. Under § 135-26.1, no licensee has an exclusive right to a location in the public streets or a stationary location there, and no licensee can operate in a congested area. A police officer's good-faith judgment on congestion is conclusive.

Food sales also fall under § 109-5 on care of food. Food and produce sold from vehicles open on any side must be screened or covered, seafood, meats, poultry and dairy must travel in refrigerated vehicles, and food must be handed over in bags or other suitable containers. Before a licensee uses a vehicle, the Director of Health, Environment and Welfare inspects and approves it, and the certificate of written approval stays in the vehicle. The fee schedule in § 109-6 lists Mobile Truck/Ice Cream Truck and Catering Truck at $150.00 each.