Richmond, VA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- School buffer
- 100 feet from any school
- Vending hours
- Banned midnight to 6:00 a.m.
- Required insurance
- At least $300,000 liability coverage
- Enforcement
- Department of Finance
- Repeat offense
- 2-year badge revocation on 2nd conviction
Summary
Selling food or merchandise on a Richmond sidewalk outside downtown is legal under Section 6-456, but only if the vendor clears a long list of distance and hours rules, from staying 100 feet off school grounds to closing between midnight and 6 a.m., and carries both a business license and a District Health Department permit.
(a)It shall be lawful to sell or offer for sale food, beverage or merchandise on sidewalks in the City outside the Central Business District, subject to the regulations in Subsection (b) of this section.(b)No vendor shall do any of the following:(1)Vend within 100 feet of the grounds of any elementary or secondary school.(2)Vend on the sidewalks within public parks.(3)Vend within 15 feet of any entranceway to or exitway from any building...(9)Vend between 12:00 midnight and 6:00 a.m.(10)Sell food or beverages for immediate consumption unless there is available for public use the vendor's own or a public litter receptacle...(14)Vend without first obtaining any required business license from the Department of Finance and a permit from the District Health Department.(17)Vend without having in force an insurance policy... Limits of liability shall be a minimum of $300,000.00.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Recodification).
Full Breakdown
Section 6-453 defines a 'vendor' as anyone selling or offering food, beverage or merchandise on public sidewalks in the City, and covers the Central Business District bounded by Belvidere Street, the Richmond-Petersburg Turnpike and the James River. m. Vendors selling food for immediate consumption must provide their own or use a public litter receptacle and must clear all trash from a spot before leaving. 00 in liability insurance naming the City as an additional insured. Section 6-455 exempts permitted special events and festivals, newspaper vending machines, City market sales under Chapter 8, and park concession sales.
Section 6-454 puts the Department of Finance in charge of enforcement and gives every vendor a badge; a second conviction within 12 months triggers badge revocation after a hearing before the Director of Finance, and a revoked vendor can't vend on City sidewalks for two years.
Violations & Fines
Violating Section 6-456 or Division 2 of the article is a Class 1 misdemeanor under Section 6-454(a), with each day of continued violation counted as a separate offense, up to the general Section 1-16 penalty of $2,500.00 and 12 months in jail. A second conviction within 12 months costs the vendor their badge for two years, after notice and a hearing before the Director of Finance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell food from a cart on any Richmond sidewalk?
How much liability insurance does a Richmond sidewalk vendor need?
What happens after a second vending violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Richmond
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