Kauai County, HI Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Chapter 18, Article 5 of the Kaua'i County Code, 'Vending From County Rights-of-Way Prohibited,' is the provision that controls where a food truck or mobile vendor may set up on Kaua'i. Section 18-5.1(a) prohibits parking or placing a vehicle or structure wholly or partly on any County right-of-way to sell any article, service or thing from it without a permit, so long as doing so creates or risks a hazardous condition or public nuisance; without a permit, the Department of Public Works may remove the vehicle or structure outright under subsection (b).

To vend lawfully in the right-of-way, § 18-5.2(a) requires the vendor to apply in writing for a revocable permit from the County Engineer under Chapter 20, Article 5, subject to whatever terms and mitigation conditions the County Engineer imposes; if the permit application includes a temporary road closure, the Chief of Police must also approve it under subsection (b). Section 18-5.3 defines the regulated right-of-way as the full width between property lines, including the berm, swale or shoulder, but excludes areas under the Department of Parks and Recreation's jurisdiction.

Violating the Article is a traffic-infraction-level offense under § 18-5.4, carrying a $500 fine per offense, with each day of continued violation counted as a separate offense, on top of any administrative penalty issued under Chapter 20, Article 5.