Kingsport, TN Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Article II of Chapter 70 of the Kingsport Code sets the map for street vending, and the map is small. Section 70-23(c) says vending shall be restricted to fire district No. 1 and, within that area, to specific locations and specific items. Section 70-21 defines fire district No. 1 as the area so designated in section 22-1. Section 70-24 then draws the line: inside the district it is unlawful to vend food, beverage, goods or merchandise on any street or sidewalk without first obtaining a permit, and outside the district it is unlawful to vend at all on a street or sidewalk in the city, apart from the exemptions in section 70-28. Those exemptions cover approved participants in a farmer's market, approved participants in a cultural arts and crafts show including Fun Fest and the Santa Train Christmas parade, approved participants in a special event authorized by the city, and individuals vending newspapers, leaflets, pamphlets, bumper stickers or buttons.

Inside the district, Section 70-29 adds distance rules that decide which exact spots on a block are legal. A vendor cannot stand within ten feet of the outer edge of any business entrance, which the section lists as doors, vestibules, driveways, outdoor dining area entries and emergency exits. That ten feet is measured in each direction parallel to the building line and applies during the hours that any business on the premises is open to the public or to persons conducting lawful business there. Ten feet is also required from any bus stop and from any street corner or marked pedestrian crosswalk. Each vendor must sit 35 feet from any other vendor, and no vendor can operate in a way that blocks or obstructs the free movement of pedestrians. The permit itself comes from the city manager or designee under section 70-25, and the proposed location is a required item on the application.