Redlands, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- Business license
- Required for stationary and roaming vendors
- Liability insurance
- $1,000,000, City named as additional insured
- Allowed hours
- 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., non-residential zones only
- School buffer
- 100 feet from any school property line
- First violation
- Notice only, no fine
- Repeat violation fine
- Up to $500 after the third offense
Summary
Redlands requires stationary sidewalk vendors to hold a business license and $1 million in liability insurance, and bars them entirely from residential zones. In commercial and mixed-use zones vending runs 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. daily, but vendors must keep a 36-inch clear path and stay away from fire hydrants, schools, rail lines and other vendors under Redlands City Code § 12.45.030.
B. Stationary sidewalk vendors are prohibited from operating or establishing in any residential zone of the City. C. Stationary sidewalk vendors may operate in non-residential zones of the City, including mixed use zones, seven o'clock (7:00) A.M. to two o'clock (2:00) A.M. Monday through Sunday provided they meet the following: 1. The sidewalk vendor can set up vending operations while still leaving a minimum of thirty-six inches (36") of accessible path of travel, without obstruction, along the public sidewalk or public pathway; and ... 4. ... No vending shall occur within fifteen feet (15') of a fire hydrant, fire escape, loading zone, handicapped parking space or access ramp, fire station driveway, or police station driveway; and ... 10. ... No vending shall occur within one hundred feet (100') of the property line of any school; any postsecondary educational facility attended by secondary pupils; or any private kindergarten, elementary, or secondary school facility; and 1 ... 6. ... No vending shall occur in public streets, roadways, medians, pedestrian islands, parking lots, alleys, or bikeways; and
Full Breakdown
45, adopted by Ordinance 2922 in 2023 to implement California's Safe Sidewalk Vending Act, splits vendors into stationary sidewalk vendors, who vend from a fixed location such as a cart or table, and roaming sidewalk vendors, who move and stop only to complete a sale. Both types must obtain a City of Redlands business license before operating, and a stationary vendor's application must include proof of general liability insurance naming the city as an additional insured in the amount of one million dollars, plus a current San Bernardino County Department of Environmental Health Services permit if the vendor sells food.
030 bars stationary vending outright in any residential zone. seven days a week, but the vendor must leave a minimum 36-inch accessible path of travel, may set up only one table, two chairs and one umbrella, cannot connect to water, electrical or gas lines or run a generator, and cannot store or display goods outside vending hours. The section layers on buffers: no vending within 15 feet of a fire hydrant, fire escape, loading zone, accessible parking space or a fire or police station driveway; within 100 feet of any school property line; within 200 feet of a city-sponsored event, the certified farmers' market or the Redlands Municipal Airport; within 50 feet of a rail line centerline; or within 30 feet of another vendor, a building entrance, or a street corner cutoff area. Vending is prohibited outright in public streets, roadways, medians, parking lots, alleys and bikeways. 050.
Violations & Fines
A first violation of chapter 12.45 draws only a written Notice of Violation, not a fine. A second violation within one year carries an administrative fine up to $50, a third up to $100, and each further violation within that year up to $500 under section 12.45.060. The chapter expressly bars criminal charges, infractions or arrest for violations, and an adjudicator must consider the vendor's ability to pay, accepting 20 percent of the fine for anyone who qualifies under Government Code section 68632.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell food from a sidewalk cart in a Redlands residential neighborhood?
What insurance does a sidewalk vendor need in Redlands?
What happens the first time a sidewalk vendor breaks the rules?
How close can a sidewalk vendor set up to a school in Redlands?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Redlands
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