Nashua, NH Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Nashua's mobile food vending location rules sit primarily in Nashua Revised Ordinances Chapter 231 (Peddling, Soliciting and Vending), supplemented by Chapter 190 (Land Use). Key provisions: (1) Vendor license — no person shall act as a vendor within the City of Nashua unless licensed to do so. Each applicant applies in writing to the City Clerk on a form determined by the Clerk; the application requires the name, home and business address of the applicant, and the name and address of the owner (if other than the applicant) of the business and of any stand or motor vehicle used in the vending. The fee is $10 for each day less than one week, $25 for one week, or $100 for the year. Food truck operators must hold the Hawkers and Peddlers Permit (the vendor-license analog for food trucks under Chapter 231) in addition to the Mobile Food Service License from Environmental Health. (2) Ice cream and canteen trucks — ice cream and/or canteen truck vendors shall be permitted in the residential zones of the City in accordance with any ordinances of the City of Nashua. (3) Street fair vendor licenses — a street-fair vendor license shall limit the use of the licensed geographic area by any hawker, peddler, or any other such vendor during the period of the street-fair license, except for owners or tenants of buildings within the area and persons authorized by the street-fair licensee. (4) Underlying zoning — operating from private property requires compliance with the host parcel's zoning under Chapter 190 (e.g., commercial and mixed-use districts generally permit on-site food service; residential zones do not host a stationary food-truck commissary operation). New Hampshire's food-safety framework (RSA 143-A) preempts local bans on mobile food units that meet state code, so Nashua may impose reasonable time-place-manner zoning, vendor licensing, and right-of-way permitting, but may not outright prohibit compliant mobile food units.