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

KCC 6.07.060 makes it unlawful to sell, offer for sale, solicit orders, rent, lease, or otherwise peddle from a public place, using a mobile cart, using a vehicle, or by any other mobile method, without first obtaining a vending permit. The application must include the vendor's name and address, the abutting property owner's or street-level tenant's written consent (the property owner's decision controls if the two disagree), a drawing of the area and unit design, and proof of $500,000 liability insurance naming the city and the abutting property owner as additional insureds under KCC 6.07.140(E).

Location rules are specific: no permit for a spot within 10 feet of a driveway, wheelchair ramp, bus stop, or intersection crosswalk, and the unit cannot reduce sidewalk passage to less than four feet. A permit is also barred within 200 feet of an existing vendor or store selling the same primary product, and within 200 feet of a park or school without that agency's written consent, unless the vending falls under a special-event master use permit. Units cannot stand taller than five feet, must be pushable by one person, cannot use street furniture like planters or trash cans to display goods, and cannot vend to occupants of parked vehicles. Food and beverage carts must meet Seattle-King County health department standards, and any cart with cooking equipment needs a fire department inspection covering extinguishers, fuel storage, and open-flame limits. A vending unit cannot be left unattended or remain on the sidewalk between midnight and 6:00 a.m.