Los Angeles County, CA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Sidewalk & Mobile Vending (2026)
Key Facts
- Registration fee
- $604 per year
- Certificate validity
- 1 year, renewable
- Commercial-area hours
- 6 a.m.-midnight
- Residential roaming hours
- 9 a.m.-9 p.m.
- Health permit required
- Title 11, DPH
- Unregistered first-offense fine
- $250
Summary
Unincorporated Los Angeles County requires a $604 annual Sidewalk Vending Registration Certificate under County Code § 8.42.050 before anyone may push a food cart onto a public sidewalk, and § 8.42.070.Y caps operating hours at 6 a.m. to midnight in commercial areas and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for roaming vendors on residential streets. Motorized food trucks are excluded from this chapter and licensed separately.
A.No Person, either for themselves or any other Person, will conduct or engage in Sidewalk Vendor activity within the Unincorporated Area without possessing a Sidewalk Vending Registration Certificate issued to them pursuant to this Chapter, in addition to possessing any other required licenses, registrations, or permits pursuant to this Chapter, the County Code, State law, and other local laws and regulations....C.An applicant must apply for a Sidewalk Vending Registration Certificate in the format prescribed by the Director and pay the annual Sidewalk Vendor registration fee amount of six hundred and four dollars ($604), payable to the County....Y.Sidewalk Vending hours of operations must be as follows:1.In residential areas, Roaming Sidewalk Vendors may only operate between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m.2.In nonresidential areas, Sidewalk Vendors may operate between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 12:00 a.m., or the hours of operation imposed on other businesses on the same street or block, whichever is least restrictive.
Full Breakdown
6 expressly excludes peddlers vending from motor vehicles used to transport or prepare food, so a catering truck or trailer is regulated under a separate County permit, not this ordinance. C; the certificate is valid one year, is non-transferable, and must be visibly displayed while vending. O). I bars selling alcohol, cannabis, tobacco, firearms, lottery tickets, or other illegal items from any cart. for roaming vendors in residential areas.
Violations & Fines
Vending without a valid Sidewalk Vending Registration Certificate draws a $250 fine for a first offense, $500 for a second, and $1,000 for a third or later within a year -- steeper than the $100/$200/$500 schedule that applies to a registered vendor's operating violations. The Director may also bar an applicant from reapplying for five years after a material false statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a food truck need a Sidewalk Vending Registration Certificate?
What does the $604 registration fee pay for?
Can a food cart operate past midnight?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Los Angeles County
California rules heatmap·Compare Los Angeles County to another location·View the California food trucks & mobile vendors overview
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