Marathon County, WI Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- Citation
- Marathon County Code § 12.05
- Registration fee
- $25 individual, $50 business
- Bond
- $1,000–$10,000 by item price
- Calling hours
- 9 a.m.–9 p.m. only
- Fine range
- $100–$1,000 per violation
Summary
Marathon County requires peddlers, solicitors, and transient merchants to register with the County Clerk, pass a Sheriff's Department background check, and post a bond before selling door-to-door or off a fixed business site.
Registration required. No person or business shall engage in direct sales within the County without being registered for that purpose as provided in this section. ... A direct seller shall be prohibited from: ... Calling at any dwelling or other place between the hours of 9 p.m. and 9 a.m., except by appointment. ... Calling at any dwelling or other place where a sign is displayed bearing the words "No Peddlers", "No Solicitors" or words of similar meaning.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 59).
Full Breakdown
County Code § 12.05 requires any 'direct seller', peddlers, solicitors, and transient merchants selling goods away from a permanent place of business, to register in person with the County Clerk, submit to a Sheriff's Department background investigation, and post a bond ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 depending on the price of the goods sold. Registered sellers can't call between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m., approach homes posted 'No Peddlers' or 'No Solicitors,' or use amplified sound audible beyond 100 feet. Permanent local merchants, wholesalers, farmers selling their own crops, and registered charities are exempt.
Violations & Fines
Violating registration or conduct rules draws a forfeiture of $100–$500 for a first offense and $500–$1,000 for later offenses; the Clerk can also revoke registration after notice and hearing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do farmers selling their own produce need to register?
Does a permanent local shop owner need this?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Marathon County
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