Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in South Carolina (2026)
26 rules on the books across South Carolina, 13 cities and counties. Select a rule to read the full details.
Severity: Few Restrictions · Light Restrictions · Some Restrictions · Significant Restrictions · Heavy Restrictions
Food Truck Permits
Licenses and health permits required to operate a food truck, including fees, inspections, and renewal requirements.
South Carolina: statewide
StatewideSome RestrictionsEvery food truck in South Carolina is a mobile food establishment that must hold a valid permit under Regulation 61-25…
Read full rule →Charleston
Significant RestrictionsA Charleston mobile food vendor operating in the Central Business District needs three things before opening: a…
Read full rule →Columbia
Significant RestrictionsColumbia requires a nonexclusive council-granted franchise plus a business license before anyone can sell food…
Read full rule →Horry County
Some RestrictionsHorry County requires a Horry County Mobile Food Permit for every mobile food unit and ice cream truck. The permit…
Read full rule →Pageland
Some RestrictionsPageland requires every mobile food unit, from food trucks to ice cream trucks, to hold a mobile food business license…
Read full rule →Richland County
Some RestrictionsRichland County treats mobile food trucks as a licensed business under NAICS 722330, Mobile Food Services, Rate Class…
Read full rule →Rock Hill
Some RestrictionsMobile food vendors in Rock Hill, South Carolina, may not simply park and sell anywhere. The Zoning Ordinance limits…
Read full rule →York County
Light RestrictionsA mobile food unit setting up in unincorporated York County does not need a zoning compliance permit. Table 155.718-1…
Read full rule →Vending Zones
Designated areas where food trucks and mobile vendors can operate, including time limits, distance from restaurants, and residential area restrictions.
Beaufort County
Significant RestrictionsBeaufort County bars retail sales from a motor vehicle, trailer, or shipping container anywhere in the unincorporated…
Read full rule →Charleston
Significant RestrictionsStationary food carts on Charleston's public streets, sidewalks and parking spaces in the Old and Historic District are…
Read full rule →Columbia
Significant RestrictionsColumbia only allows sidewalk food carts to operate inside a council-designated vending district, and even there a cart…
Read full rule →Florence County
Significant RestrictionsUnincorporated Florence County does not zone mobile food vending as its own category; food trucks are addressed only as…
Read full rule →Aiken County
Some RestrictionsAiken County only allows food trucks and other vendors where the zoning use table lists vending as a conditional use…
Read full rule →Greenville County
Some RestrictionsA food truck or vending vehicle parked in a street or road right-of-way in unincorporated Greenville County may sell…
Read full rule →Horry County
Some RestrictionsHorry County limits stationary mobile food units to commercial and higher-density zoning districts as a conditional…
Read full rule →Lexington County
Some RestrictionsA food truck in unincorporated Lexington County can set up as a temporary accessory to an existing non-residential…
Read full rule →Pageland
Some RestrictionsPageland confines mobile food units to private property in commercial and industrial zoning districts, running 7 a.m…
Read full rule →York County
Some RestrictionsIn unincorporated York County a mobile vending unit, including a food truck, may set up on any privately owned lot in…
Read full rule →Sidewalk & Mobile Vending
Permits and rules for sidewalk vendors and pushcarts, where vending is allowed, cart and equipment standards, and the distance and hours rules that come with a vendor permit.
Pageland
Heavy RestrictionsPageland flatly bars mobile food vendors from setting up on any street, sidewalk, alley, trail, or other right-of-way…
Read full rule →Charleston
Significant RestrictionsSelling food or drink from a stationary cart on a Charleston street or sidewalk is unlawful outside city-designated…
Read full rule →Columbia
Significant RestrictionsColumbia limits sidewalk cart vendors to a fixed list of approved foods and merchandise, bans vending between 11:00…
Read full rule →North Charleston
Significant RestrictionsVendors operating from private commercial or industrial property in North Charleston need a city-issued transient…
Read full rule →Rock Hill
Significant RestrictionsSelling food or goods from a cart or stand on Rock Hill's public sidewalks and rights-of-way requires a revocable…
Read full rule →Aiken County
Some RestrictionsAiken County requires any conditionally permitted vendor, including mobile food operations, to sit at least 20 feet…
Read full rule →Beaufort County
Some RestrictionsBeaufort County allows sidewalk and parking lot sales only on the same site as the seller's own permanent place of…
Read full rule →York County
Some RestrictionsA food truck or other mobile vending unit operating on a private lot in unincorporated York County cannot block a…
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