Chelsea, MA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Beyond the permit itself, section 14-90(j) of the Chelsea Code of Ordinances fixes where and when a mobile food operation may vend. No food operation may set up within 300 feet of a restaurant or within 300 feet of any elementary or secondary school, on private property without the property owner's written consent, or in a municipal park without the written consent of the director of public works. m. Trucks and carts must pull over to the side of the public right-of-way as far as practicable to sell and can never stop for a sale if doing so blocks the passage of other vehicles.

Vehicles cannot be left parked on the street overnight or unattended while food is stored inside; an unattended vehicle is deemed a public safety hazard and can be ticketed and impounded, the same treatment given a truck operating outside its permitted route or location. Ice cream trucks that move continuously and stay stationary no more than 30 minutes at a stop are exempt from the mobile food operation permit and location scheme entirely. The licensing commission also reserves the right to relocate a permitted operation temporarily if its approved spot is needed for snow removal, construction, an emergency, or other public purpose.