Palm Beach County, FL Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit authority
- Engineering Dept., annual permit
- Sidewalk sites
- Never approved
- New permit fee
- $350 total before July 1
- Location spacing
- 1,500 ft from other vendors
- Criminal penalty
- 2nd-degree misdemeanor
Summary
Unincorporated Palm Beach County bars roadside vendors from any location with a public sidewalk, curbing, driveway or bike path: vending permits only cover clear road shoulders, under the County's Roadside Vendors Ordinance.
The Engineering Department shall not approve locations:a.On state or private roads, private property, or within municipalities.b.On the side of the road which contains curbing, public sidewalks, driveways, bike paths or pathways, or on improved or maintained swale areas....
Full Breakdown
Anyone selling food, flowers, plants or produce from a vehicle on a county-maintained right-of-way in unincorporated Palm Beach County needs an annual Engineering Department permit under the Roadside Vendors Ordinance (Code §§ 23-96–23-115). The department will not approve a site that has curbing, a public sidewalk, a driveway or a bike path, so no vendor can legally set up on a sidewalk itself: only bare shoulder locations qualify. Approved sites must also sit at least 500 feet from a similar licensed business, 1,500 feet from another vending site, and clear of residential frontage, schools, churches and day-care sites. This scheme applies only outside the county's 39 municipalities, each of which sets its own rules.
Violations & Fines
Vending without a permit, or from a site the County disallows (including any with a sidewalk), is a second-degree misdemeanor punishable by up to a $500 fine, 60 days in jail, or both, plus permit revocation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set up a food cart on a sidewalk in unincorporated Palm Beach County?
Does this rule apply inside cities like West Palm Beach or Boca Raton?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Beach County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Palm Beach County to another location·View the Florida food trucks & mobile vendors overview
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