Port Townsend, WA Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitted zone
- C-III commercial zone only
- Sidewalk clearance
- 5-foot pedestrian clearance required
- Cart setback
- Max 6 ft from building face
- License fee
- $350/year plus $50 application fee
- License term
- Up to 3 years
Summary
Port Townsend confines all licensed street vending carts, temporary stands, and merchandise displays to the C-III commercial zone; no permit is issued anywhere else in the city.
If the location is a sidewalk, a minimum sidewalk clearance of five feet shall be maintained between any vending cart, temporary stand or merchandise display and any other fixed or temporary obstruction or planting. Temporary stands or vending carts shall be placed no further than six feet from the adjoining building face or right-of-way limit. Merchandise displays may not be placed further than four feet from the adjoining building face or right-of-way limit. If located on a street, the business or performance shall be oriented and operated to sidewalk traffic and not to vehicle traffic. No street vending cart, temporary stand or merchandise display shall be permitted, nor shall any permit be issued for any area within the city other than the C-III zone under the city zoning ordinances.
B. Assigned Location. The street vendor or street performer shall at all times locate and operate the business together with the vending cart or temporary stand in the assigned location. Mobile vending or performance using mobile carts or stands is not permitted.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3364, passed May 18, 2026).
Full Breakdown
Under PTMC 5.32.070(A), the planning and building director may only license street vending carts, temporary stands, and merchandise displays sited in the C-III zone: no other zoning district in the city qualifies for a permit. On sidewalks, a five-foot pedestrian clearance must be kept clear, and carts or stands can sit no more than six feet from the building face or right-of-way line (four feet for merchandise displays). Applicants must also get written sign-off from the abutting property owner before the director will approve a location under PTMC 5.32.050. Annual license fees run $350 under PTMC 3.36.070, on top of a $50 nonrefundable application fee.
Violations & Fines
Vending without a license, or siting a cart or stand outside the C-III zone, is unlawful under PTMC 5.32.040; the director can summarily revoke a license for violating chapter terms under PTMC 5.32.090.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I set up a food cart anywhere downtown?
Do I need a license just to display goods outside my own shop?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Port Townsend
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