Hackensack, NJ Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Section 90-70A of the mobile food vendor ordinance (Article X of Chapter 90, adopted 1-14-2020 by Ord. No. 42-2019) sets the baseline geography for where a mobile food vendor may set up in Hackensack. Routine vending on private property is limited to commercial, industrial or office parcels located in an M-2 Zone, and even there the vendor must be situated at least 300 feet from the main entrance of any licensed restaurant, luncheonette or tavern that serves food. Before a vendor can operate, the property itself must obtain a zoning permit from the Department of Building, Housing and Land Use; the property owner or an authorized agent must apply, submit notarized documentation consenting to mobile food vendors and to City inspection access, and provide a contact phone number and e-mail address.

The zoning permit runs for up to 90 days, is renewable indefinitely, and costs $50 per permit including renewals. Only one mobile food vendor may operate on a given property at a time, though different vendors can rotate through the same 90-day permit period. Under Section 90-70B, public property, including any City park, field or adjacent parking area, is closed to mobile food vending altogether unless the City Manager authorizes it for a special event such as a fair, festival or carnival capped at five days.