Norfolk, VA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)

A pushcart or stand vendor selling food or merchandise on a Norfolk sidewalk needs more than a spot: Section 42-39(b) requires a vendor license before operating in any designated sidewalk location, and Section 42-39(c) also requires a business license or special event business license from the commissioner of the revenue. Food vendors additionally need a health permit from the department of health under Section 42-40(a), and Section 42-41 requires the vendor license and the health permit both be conspicuously displayed on the cart while operating.

Inside the designated sidewalk location, Section 42-45(a) confines the whole cart to that footprint, limits its size to four feet by seven feet, and lets the vendor stay away from the spot for only as many days as the city manager's rules allow. Section 42-45(c) requires a waste receptacle affixed to the cart for customer use, and Section 42-45(d)-(e) bars leaning or touching any building, lamp post, parking meter, mailbox, or the display window of a fixed-location business. Vendors also cannot run a radio or amplified sound, use a flashing or moving sign, or hook up to water, sewer, or gas utilities under the general rule in Section 42-44.

Enforcement runs through police officers, the health director, and the fire marshal under Section 42-49, and Section 42-49(b) lets any of them order a vendor to move or stop for a specific public safety concern.