Riverside County, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)

51036. For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply: (a) 'Sidewalk vendor' means a person who sells food or merchandise from a pushcart, stand, display, pedal-driven cart, wagon, showcase, rack, or other nonmotorized conveyance, or from one's person, upon a public sidewalk or other pedestrian path. (b) 'Roaming sidewalk vendor' means a sidewalk vendor who moves from place to place and stops only to complete a transaction. (c) 'Stationary sidewalk vendor' means a sidewalk vendor who vends from a fixed location. (d) 'Local authority' means a chartered or general law city, county, or city and county. [...] 51038. (a) A local authority may adopt a program to regulate sidewalk vendors in compliance with this section. (b) A local authority's sidewalk vending program shall comply with all of the following standards: (1) A local authority shall not require a sidewalk vendor to operate within specific parts of the public right-of-way, except when that restriction is directly related to objective health, safety, or welfare concerns. [...] (4)(A) A local authority shall not restrict sidewalk vendors to operate only in a designated neighborhood or area, except when that restriction is directly related to objective health, safety, or welfare concerns. (B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), a local authority may prohibit stationary sidewalk vendors in areas that are zoned exclusively residential, but shall not prohibit roaming sidewalk vendors. (5) A local authority shall not restrict the overall number of sidewalk vendors permitted to operate within the jurisdiction of the local authority, unless the restriction is directly related to objective health, safety, or welfare concerns. [...] 51039. (a)(1) A violation of a local authority's sidewalk vending program that complies with Section 51038 is punishable only by the following: (A) An administrative fine not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100) for a first violation. (B) An administrative fine not exceeding two hundred dollars ($200) for a second violation within one year of the first violation. (C) An administrative fine not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500) for each additional violation within one year of the first violation.