Salt Lake City, UT Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- Permits required
- Business license + land use permit
- Max cart footprint
- 34 sq ft, 3' x 8'
- Location cap
- ~1 permit per 660 ft block
- Allowed districts
- CBD, Sugar House, parks only
- Unpermitted cart
- Declared a public nuisance
Summary
Salt Lake City confines sidewalk carts to specific downtown and Sugar House districts, city parks, and Washington Square, and requires a business license plus a revocable land use permit before anyone sells from one.
Vendors of products specified in this chapter may conduct business by use of sidewalk vending carts within the expanded Central Business District, the Secondary Central Business District, the Sugar House Business District, City parks and Washington Square, in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. It shall be unlawful for any person to sell any goods or services, for profit, on any sidewalk within the City, except as provided by this chapter...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-21: Code current through: Ord. 40-26, passed June 16, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Salt Lake City Code Chapter 5.65 limits sidewalk vending carts to the expanded and secondary Central Business Districts, the Sugar House Business District, city parks, and Washington Square; selling goods for profit on any other city sidewalk is unlawful. Vendors need a base business license and a revocable land use permit, vendor's insurance, and a fire marshal inspection if the cart cooks food. Carts (with operator, cooler, and chair) are capped at 34 square feet and cannot exceed 3 feet wide by 8 feet long, and permit locations are generally limited to about one per 660 feet of block frontage, with distance rules from crosswalks, doorways, and competing storefronts.
Violations & Fines
An unpermitted or misplaced cart is declared a public nuisance under § 5.65.210: the Business Licensing Administrator can remove and store it, and the owner must pay removal and storage fees to reclaim it, in addition to possible license suspension or revocation under § 5.65.190.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to run a vending cart in Salt Lake City?
How big can a sidewalk vending cart be?
What happens if I vend without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake City
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Sidewalk & Mobile Vending in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Salt Lake County handle sidewalk & mobile vending.