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

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Buffer distance
150 ft from dwellings/food establishments
Also off-limits
No-parking, loading, bus-stop, taxi-stand zones
Exempt streets
Parts of Broadway, Common, Lawrence St
City authority
May add zones by regulation
Max fine
$300/day for violations

Summary

Lawrence bars mobile food vendors from setting up within 150 feet of a dwelling or an operating stationary food establishment, and from handicapped spaces, loading zones, bus stops, taxi stands and other no-parking areas, except on three named downtown streets carved out by ordinance.

No mobile food vendor shall operate within 150 feet of a dwelling or stationary food service establishment then in operation, or within a handicapped parking space, loading zone, bus stop, taxi stand, service zone, or any other area where parking is prohibited, excluding Broadway Street from Haverhill Street to Common Street, Common Street from Lawrence Street to Jackson Street, and Lawrence Street from Common Street to Haverhill Street. The city may from time to time promulgate regulations to further restrict zones of operation and/or to establish allowed zones of operation.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 8).

Full Breakdown

090 of the city's mobile food vendor chapter sets the restricted zones of operation. No mobile food vendor may operate within 150 feet of a dwelling or of a stationary food service establishment then in business, nor within a handicapped parking space, loading zone, bus stop, taxi stand, service zone, or any other space where parking is otherwise prohibited. The ordinance carves out three exceptions for downtown commercial corridors: Broadway Street from Haverhill Street to Common Street, Common Street from Lawrence Street to Jackson Street, and Lawrence Street from Common Street to Haverhill Street, where the 150-foot buffer does not apply.

050, can tighten or loosen siting rules by regulation rather than ordinance amendment. Because the buffer is measured from any dwelling as well as any competing food establishment, a truck can be excluded from a block even where no other traffic-control restriction applies. 100(D), so the zone restrictions apply for the full term of every stop.

Violations & Fines

A vendor caught operating inside the 150-foot buffer, in a marked no-parking or loading zone, or outside a city-designated allowed zone faces the same enforcement track as any other Chapter 5.53 violation: a fine of up to $300.00 per day under 5.53.120, with each day a separate offense, and the inspectional services director or fire chief may suspend or revoke the license for cause after notice and hearing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How close can a food truck park to a restaurant in Lawrence?
Not closer than 150 feet. Section 5.53.090 bars mobile food vendors from operating within 150 feet of any stationary food service establishment currently in business, as well as within 150 feet of any dwelling.
Are there streets in Lawrence where the 150-foot rule doesn't apply?
Yes. The ordinance exempts three downtown segments: Broadway Street between Haverhill and Common Streets, Common Street between Lawrence and Jackson Streets, and Lawrence Street between Common and Haverhill Streets.
Can the city add more restricted zones later?
Yes, section 5.53.090 lets the city promulgate regulations to further restrict operating zones or designate additional allowed zones without amending the ordinance itself.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in Lawrence

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