Trenton, NJ Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Trenton Code § 206-22 confines Article III hawking, peddling and vending to six designated locations outside the Special Improvement District: North Broad and Perry Streets north of Perry Street; outside the main gate of Cadwalader Park; South Broad Street at the Route 1 overpass; the Old Wharf Area on Route 29; West State and Prospect Streets; and the sidewalk adjacent to the William Trent House. These locations are assigned by lottery at the time a registration certificate is issued, and assignments are subject to change or rotation at registration renewal or by direction of the City Council in the interest of public safety, health or welfare.

Once assigned, a location belongs exclusively to that vendor: no vendor may occupy a spot assigned to someone else, whether or not the assigned vendor is present, and no vendor holds any exclusive right to a public street generally or may operate where the unit would unreasonably impede pedestrian movement. The City Clerk reports the number of applicants to the City Council so it can judge whether enough locations have been designated. Under § 206-23, any unit vending at these spots is also capped at four feet in width, seven feet in length and eight feet in height, including umbrellas, and § 206-21P requires each unit to sit one foot from the curb while leaving a continuous five-foot pedestrian path.