Farmington Hills, MI Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- General rule
- Peddling/soliciting banned in public right-of-way
- Governing section
- City Code § 20-15
- Ice cream truck exception
- Residential streets only, police-approved vehicle
- Charity soliciting exception
- Max 3 days/year, safety vest, insurance
- Fixed stands
- Separately banned on public property, § 20-16
- Adopted
- Ordinance No. C-5-2010
Summary
Farmington Hills bans peddling and soliciting within any public right-of-way, including sidewalks, street corners, and driveways, under City Code § 20-15. The only carve-outs are limited street-and-curb charity soliciting a few days a year and licensed ice cream trucks on residential streets.
(a)Peddling and soliciting is prohibited within a public right-of-way, including any street corner or intersection road, highway, lane, sidewalk, driveway, alley or publicly owned property, except for soliciting and peddling conducted as provided in subsections (b) and (c), below. ... (c)Peddlers of ice cream and other frozen dessert products from a vehicle approved by the police department may engage in peddling on residential public streets and rights-of-way only and may not peddle on streets considered major thoroughfares, provided such peddlers comply with all otherwise applicable requirements of this Code, including provisions relating to noise and hours of operation, and otherwise applicable laws and regulations.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 36).
Full Breakdown
Section 20-15(a) states plainly that peddling and soliciting is prohibited within a public right-of-way, including any street corner or intersection road, highway, lane, sidewalk, driveway, alley or publicly owned property, subject only to the two narrow exceptions in subsections (b) and (c). 00 in liability insurance. The second exception covers peddlers of ice cream and other frozen dessert products operating from a police department-approved vehicle, who may sell on residential public streets and rights-of-way only, never on major thoroughfares, and must still comply with the chapter's noise and hours rules.
A food truck or vendor setting up on a downtown sidewalk to sell food directly to pedestrians does not fit either exception and is barred outright by § 20-15(a), and § 20-16 separately forbids any peddler or solicitor from establishing a fixed stand or store on a street, sidewalk, or other public property. The section was adopted by Ordinance No. C-5-2010 and amended in 2012 and 2017.
Violations & Fines
Setting up to sell food or merchandise on a Farmington Hills sidewalk or right-of-way violates § 20-15(a) unless the activity fits the narrow street-and-curb charity soliciting exception or the licensed ice cream truck carve-out. A fixed stand on public property is a separate violation of § 20-16. Both are enforced under the Code's general penalty, § 1-13: up to a $500.00 fine, up to 90 days in jail, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a food truck sell on a Farmington Hills sidewalk?
Can an ice cream truck sell anywhere in Farmington Hills?
How many days a year can charity solicitors work a Farmington Hills street corner?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Farmington Hills
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