West Haven, CT Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors: Vending Zones (2026)

Section 139-11 of the West Haven Code, added by the City Council in 1995 by Ord. No. 346, controls where a vendor can stand. Street vending or sidewalk sales cannot be conducted within 20 feet of the center line of the entrance or exit to any building or driveway. The same subsection bars vending in front of any mailbox or traffic signal, within any bus stop or loading zone, or within 10 feet of any emergency call box. No conveyance used in street vending can be located closer than 15 feet to any fire hydrant or conveyance.

Subsection E adds a spacing rule: no person engaged in street vending can stop, stand, park, place or allow a cart, stand or conveyance to be closer than 50 feet to any other cart, stand or conveyance.

Subsection F covers placement on public space. Carts and stands must sit fully within the boundaries of the paved sidewalk surface. On streets with no paved sidewalk, carts and stands must be placed so they do not interfere with pedestrian or vehicle traffic. No part of the cart or stand can extend over the curbline, and it cannot be positioned to obstruct a crosswalk, handicap ramp, fire hydrant, driveway or access to any building. Carts must leave an unobstructed pedestrian walkway at least four feet wide.

A second distance rule sits in § 139-12(B): no itinerant vendor, hawker or peddler licensed under Chapter 139 can operate within 50 feet of a sidewalk or street area that the city has licensed for commercial use to an abutting owner. Section 139-12(C) exempts a seller who operates only on that licensed area with the owner's authorization. Vending zones for motor vehicles are also tied to parking law: § 139-3(B) requires vehicles to obey all parking regulations, including meter fees.