Lawrence, KS Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)

Sec. ' Sec. 6-1702 defines a city-approved event narrowly as any event sanctioned by a city permit, including a temporary special event permit, a temporary use of public right-of-way permit, or a Parks, Recreation and Culture Department special event permit, so an ordinary sidewalk setup without one of those specific permits is unlawful under this section. The restriction sits alongside two related bans in the same section: vendors also cannot sell from any unoccupied or vacant lot without the same city-approved-event cover (Sec. 6-1711(d)), and every sale still requires the property owner's permission (Sec.

6-1711(a)). Because the right-of-way ban applies regardless of zoning district, a food truck parked legally in a commercial district still cannot push sales onto the adjoining public sidewalk or street margin. The city clerk enforces the mobile food vendor licensing article, and a violation of Sec. 6-1711 is listed among the specific grounds in Sec. 6-1713 for revoking a vendor's mobile food vendor's license, on top of the general municipal-offense fine that applies to violations of this article. A vendor who wants to sell curbside for a festival, farmers' market pop-up, or block party needs the underlying event itself to carry one of the three qualifying city permits before right-of-way sales become lawful.