Lafayette, LA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Sec. 70-61, Lafayette Code of Ordinances
- Permit fee
- $125.00
- Extra-employee fee
- $25.00 per employee beyond two
- Surety bond
- $5,000.00 (agricultural/seafood sellers exempt)
- Application lead time
- 10 days before first sale
- Territorial reach
- City and unincorporated Lafayette Parish
- Penalty for no price sign
- License lost; 18-month reapply bar
Summary
Anyone peddling goods on Lafayette streets, sidewalks, or other outdoor public locations needs a city permit first. Sec. 70-61 bans selling, renting, or taking orders without one, and Sec. 70-62 sets the fee at $125.00 per permit, with an extra $25.00 for each of more than two employees working under it.
It shall be unlawful for any peddler and/or door-to-door vendor to offer for sale and/or rental, exhibit for sale and/or rental or exhibit for the purpose of taking orders for sale and/or rental, any goods, merchandise and/or services without first obtaining a permit from the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government. ... has paid the sum of $125.00 for the issuance of such permit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
' Sec. 70-36 defines a peddler broadly as anyone who offers goods, merchandise, or services for sale or rental 'in any structure or building which does not have a certificate of occupancy, or in any outdoor location or locations, upon or along any street, sidewalk, right-of-way, public space or park', squarely covering street vending. Sec. ' Sec. 00 surcharge under Sec. 70-64 for each assistant, associate, or employee beyond the first two working under that permit. Sec. 00 surety bond, waived only for vendors selling agricultural or seafood products they harvested or bought directly from farmers or fishermen.
Sec. 70-65 caps most permits at six months unless the vendor sells at least six hours a day, five days a week, at the permitted location, and the permit must be displayed where the public can see it. Sec. 70-1 applies this whole chapter both inside the city and in unincorporated Lafayette Parish.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 70-37 makes any violation of Chapter 70 punishable, upon conviction, by 'a fine or imprisonment, or both, in the discretion of the court,' with each instance of vending without a permit treated as a separate offense. Sec. 70-67 adds that a street vendor who fails to post a required price sign loses the current license outright and cannot reapply for at least 18 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to sell on a Lafayette sidewalk?
How much does a Lafayette peddler permit cost?
Does this permit apply outside the Lafayette city limits?
What happens if a vendor doesn't post prices?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lafayette
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