Hampton, VA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- License authority
- Commissioner of the Revenue
- General peddler tax
- $500/year
- Perishable food peddler tax
- $75/year
- Tag requirement
- Displayed on vehicle, non-transferable
- Show-and-sale limit
- 7 days per location
Summary
Hampton requires anyone who carries goods place to place within the city and sells or barters them to hold a peddler's license, pay a category-based annual tax, and display a city-issued tag on the vehicle used.
The commissioner of the revenue shall issue to each applicant for a peddler's license a license tag, of a size and design to be selected by the commissioner, suitable to be displayed on the vehicle to be used by the peddler in the prosecution of such business. On each tag so issued, there shall be printed the classification of the peddler, the tag number and the license year for which the license is issued.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31 | Zoning: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
Under the city's business license tax chapter, a "peddler" is anyone who carries goods, wares or merchandise from place to place and sells or barters them without a fixed, regularly-open place of business: the core sidewalk/street vendor case. Peddlers must obtain a license from the commissioner of the revenue and pay an annual tax that varies by product: $500 general merchandise, $75 for perishable food items, $100 for bottled drinks, hot dogs and sandwiches, and $25 for items like Christmas trees or ice. The commissioner then issues a numbered, non-transferable license tag sized and designed by that office, which must be displayed on the peddler's vehicle at all times. Itinerant merchants running a temporary "show and sale" need a separate license instead, capped at 7 days per location.
Violations & Fines
A violation of the business license tax chapter, including peddling without the required license and tag, is a Class 1 misdemeanor; license tags are non-transferable and displaying a false grower's or seafood-peddler sign is also a Class 4 misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell goods on Hampton streets without a permit?
Does the peddler tax apply to farmers selling their own produce?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hampton
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