Springfield, MA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- License issuer
- Board of Police Commissioners
- Fruit/vegetable license fee
- $25/year
- Fish peddler license fee
- $15/year
- Badge and number plate
- Mandatory while peddling
Summary
Hawking fruits, vegetables, or fish door-to-door or from a pushcart in Springfield, Massachusetts requires a license from the Board of Police Commissioners, plus a numbered badge and vehicle plate.
No person shall go about from place to place within the City carrying or exposing for sale or selling fruits or vegetables, except those raised or produced by himself or his family, and no person shall go about from place to place within the City carrying or exposing for sale or selling fish, except fish obtained by his own labor, or that of his family, in or from any cart, wagon or other vehicle or in any other manner, without a license therefor from the Board of Police Commissioners.
A. Qualification of licensee. The Board of Police Commissioners shall have authority to grant one or both of such licenses to any person of good repute for morals and integrity who is, or has declared his intention to become, a citizen of the United States.
B. Duration of license. Licenses shall bear the date of the day on which they are issued and, unless sooner revoked by the Board of Police Commissioners, shall continue in force for one year from such date.
C. Fees. Each person so licensed to sell fruits and vegetables shall pay therefor a fee of $25, and each person so licensed to sell fish shall pay therefor a fee of $15.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4680006; v21 updated 2025-12-15; through 12-15-2025).
Full Breakdown
Springfield's Hawkers and Peddlers ordinance requires a Board of Police Commissioners license before anyone sells fruits, vegetables, or fish from place to place within the city, unless the produce or fish came from the seller's own family labor. Licensees pay $25 for a fruit/vegetable license or $15 for a fish license, run for one year, and must wear an assigned badge and display a numbered plate on any cart or vehicle used. Before registration, a Sealer of Weights and Measures certificate is required for any scale used in sales.
Violations & Fines
Peddling food without the required Board of Police Commissioners license, or without wearing the assigned badge, is punishable under the City's noncriminal disposition penalty and grounds for the Board to revoke the license outright.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to sell fruit from a cart in Springfield, MA?
How long does a Springfield, MA peddler's license last?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Springfield
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