New Brunswick, NJ Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- Cart size limit
- Two feet wide, four feet long, four feet high
- Spacing from other peddlers
- Thirty feet on the same sidewalk or side of street
- Time at one spot
- Thirty minutes unless a sale or customer is present
- Minimum clear sidewalk
- Six feet of unobstructed pedestrian right-of-way
- Hydrants, crosswalks, driveways
- Fifteen feet clearance required
- Music while stationary
- Banned; $250 to $1,250 penalty
Summary
In the City of New Brunswick, New Jersey, a peddler selling food from a cart on a sidewalk must stay within four feet by two feet by four feet, stay thirty feet from other peddlers, move after thirty minutes, and leave at least six feet of unobstructed sidewalk. Section 5.68.110 also keeps carts fifteen feet from hydrants, crosswalks and driveways.
A.Peddler Regulations. No peddler shall:1.Use a cart the dimensions of which exceed two feet in width, four feet in length and four feet in height including wheel height, while operating on any sidewalk or street; ... 3.Station, place, set up or maintain his or her person, cart or vehicle on any sidewalk or street if to do so would place him or her closer than thirty (30) feet to any other peddler who is selling on the sidewalk or same side of the street. ... 5.Station, place, set up or maintain his or her person, cart or vehicle or allow it to remain at the same location on any sidewalk or street for more than thirty (30) minutes unless a sale is transacted or a potential customer is actually stopped at the cart or vehicle surveying the peddler's wares. ... 11.Station, place, set up or maintain his or her person, cart or vehicle or allow it to remain on any sidewalk if to do so would reduce the unobstructed pedestrian right-of-way to less than six feet. ... 14.Engage in the business of peddling on any sidewalk or along any street within fifteen (15) feet of any fire hydrant, crosswalk or driveway;
Full Breakdown
Section 5.68.010 of the New Brunswick Municipal Code defines a peddler as anyone who exposes an item for sale in the city, and the definition names food, ice cream, fruit ices, meats, fish, vegetables and fruits. The same section prohibits the sale of any item by an individual traveling on foot or from a nonmotorized vehicle, except newspapers, which Chapter 5.60 and § 5.68.120 handle separately. Section 5.68.110(A) then sets the sidewalk and street rules for peddlers, and a food seller with no fixed location is a peddler.
Cart size is capped at two feet in width, four feet in length and four feet in height including wheel height. A vehicle cannot exceed ninety-six inches in width, thirty-five feet in length and thirteen feet six inches in height, and articulated vehicles are barred. Peddlers must sell from the curbline, stay thirty feet from any other peddler on the same sidewalk or same side of the street, and stay ten feet from intersecting streets and ten feet from a depressed curb. No peddler can operate within fifteen feet of any fire hydrant, crosswalk or driveway, or stand between the curbline and the entrance to a building, store, theater, library, school, museum, movie house or sports arena. The unobstructed pedestrian right-of-way cannot drop below six feet, and the engineering department can change that width by regulation.
Time limits are strict. A peddler cannot stay at the same location for more than thirty minutes unless a sale is transacted or a customer is stopped at the cart, and the thirty minutes start over after each sale. When the time runs out the cart must move at least thirty feet and cannot return to that spot or within thirty feet of it for two hours. No peddler can remain on any city block longer than two hours. Tables, crates, racks or other structures that enlarge the display are barred, carts cannot be left unattended or stored overnight on a public way, and every sale needs a numbered written receipt. Under § 5.68.071 a stationary peddler cannot sound any musical or alerting device.
Violations & Fines
Section 5.68.071 sets its own penalty for sounding a musical or alerting device while stationary: not less than $250 nor more than $1,250. For the other sidewalk rules, § 5.68.110(A)(21) makes each violation of each section a separate offense for sentencing, and the default penalty in § 1.08.010 is a fine of $100 to $2,000, up to 90 days of imprisonment, or both.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a sidewalk food cart stay in one place in New Brunswick?
How much sidewalk space must a food cart leave open?
Can a New Brunswick street vendor play music or use a chime?
Can I walk the sidewalks selling food from a tray or backpack?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in New Brunswick
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Sidewalk & Mobile Vending in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle sidewalk & mobile vending.