Union, NY Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Section 151-32 of the Town of Union Code sets the siting standards for temporary merchants licensed under Article III of Chapter 151, a category that § 151-28 says includes food wagons and trucks, trailer stands and roadside farm stands. Subsection (B) restricts locations to established off-street parking areas designed to provide parking spaces for a minimum of five vehicles, and both active and inactive off-street parking can qualify if that standard is met.

Subsection (C) permits not more than one temporary merchant per lot and requires a minimum distance of 1,000 feet between temporary merchant locations. Subsection (D) prohibits temporary merchants from conducting business on municipal property. Subsection (E) caps the area occupied by a single merchant, including stand, tent, wagon, truck, sign and trash receptacle, at 600 square feet.

The rest of the section covers site operations. The merchant must provide trash receptacles and handle trash removal at the end of each day (F), cannot sell or transfer the assigned space (G), and is limited to one freestanding sign (H). That sign must be durable and presentable, cannot flash or be lit, cannot sit within 15 feet of a property line or within an established sign triangle, must come down and be secured during nonoperating hours, and is capped at four square feet of face and four feet in height. A permit is limited to a single location approved by the Building Department (I).

Section 151-28 requires written permission from the owner of the location, and the application must include a letter from the property owner (§ 151-31(A)(11)). Sales are limited to three days or less. The Building Inspector/Code Enforcement Official enforces these standards, and Broome County Sheriff's Department members can also issue violation notices.