Federal Way, WA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)

Federal Way's mobile vending chapter treats the public right-of-way as its own permitted location. 050(5) allows a mobile food or retail vendor of any class to operate on public rights-of-way or city-owned property, but only after obtaining whatever permit the public works department or police department requires for that location; that permit can add its own limitations or allowances beyond the standard vending rules, such as restricting hours, blocking specific blocks, or requiring insurance. 060. 070. The vendor cannot obstruct a sidewalk, bicycle lane or other pedestrian way, cannot obstruct the sight-distance triangle for turning vehicles, cannot impede ADA access or fire hydrant or fire lane access, and cannot serve as a drive-through.

The five-foot setback from a property line that applies to vendors on private property does not apply to a vendor properly located in the right-of-way itself. , the unit must sit on an asphalt or paved surface unless a special event permit says otherwise, and the vendor must provide at least one garbage and recycling container and keep the vending unit on its wheels rather than set permanently in place.