Mobile, AL Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- License
- Annual peddler's license required
- Display cap
- 40 square feet
- Location limit
- 30 days/year per spot
- Right-of-way
- Written city approval required
Summary
Mobile requires an annual peddler's license for anyone selling from a cart, stand, booth, or table, capping the display area at 40 square feet and limiting one spot to 30 days a year.
Peddlers - Annual license peddlers: All persons or businesses primarily engaged in retailing merchandise via direct sale to the customer by means of a small and temporary location, such as stand, booth, tent, table, truck, wagon, trailer, or any other type of portable stall whatsoever. A peddler's license does not authorize a person or business to engage in any house-to-house activity, solicit at private residences, or to operate a food truck. For any peddler's license, the term "display area" includes the total aggregate square foot area occupied by any combination of a booth, tent, table, truck, wagon, trailer, or any other type of portable stall whatsoever. The following conditions apply:
(1) The display area may not exceed 40 square feet.
(2) No activity is permitted in any one fixed location for more than 30 days for any calendar year.
(3) Without prior written city approval, this license does not permit the placement of any stand, booth, table, display, tent, vehicle, trailer, or any other structure whatsoever on any city property or within the city's rights-of-way.
(4) All activities must comply with all city zoning regulations as well as any other applicable city, state, and federal regulations.
(5) No activity between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. is authorized pursuant to this license.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 67).
Full Breakdown
Mobile's Chapter 34 Schedule of Licenses, referenced by Sec. 34-42, treats street cart and stand vending as a licensed "peddler" business (NAICS code 454383). The license covers direct retail sales from a stand, booth, tent, table, truck, wagon, trailer, or other portable stall, and caps the total display area at 40 square feet. A peddler cannot occupy one fixed location for more than 30 days per calendar year, and cannot set up on city property or in a public right-of-way without prior written city approval. A separate seasonal license (Code 454398) covers Mardi Gras cart and basket peddling.
Violations & Fines
Vending from an unlicensed cart, exceeding the 40-square-foot display cap, staying past 30 days in one location, or setting up in the right-of-way without written city approval can draw a municipal offense citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to run a food or vending cart in Mobile?
How big can a Mobile vending cart's display area be?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mobile
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