Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Tennessee (2026)
40 rules on the books across Tennessee, 16 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.
Tennessee: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsTennessee Department of Health regulates mobile food units statewide through Rule 1200-23-01, requiring food service…
Read full rule →Clarksville
Heavy RestrictionsFood trucks operating in Clarksville need the annual transient vendor permit issued under the peddler chapter, at a…
Read full rule →Hendersonville
Significant RestrictionsMobile food vendors in Hendersonville need Planning Department approval, a displayed business license, and a Health…
Read full rule →Jackson
Significant RestrictionsA mobile food unit operating in the City of Jackson must carry a valid peddler's/solicitor's permit and business…
Read full rule →Kingsport
Significant RestrictionsNo one can vend under Kingsport's street vendor article without a permit from the city manager or designee and proof of…
Read full rule →Knoxville
Significant RestrictionsKnoxville requires every food truck to obtain a $200 mobile food unit permit before vending, with a separate $75…
Read full rule →Memphis
Significant RestrictionsNo mobile food preparation vehicle may operate in Memphis without a permit issued under City Code § 9-52-86, which…
Read full rule →Chattanooga
Some RestrictionsChattanooga requires every mobile food unit operator to get a Mobile Food Unit Permit from the city treasurer, valid…
Read full rule →Franklin
Some RestrictionsFranklin requires a City-issued mobile food vending permit for every food truck, trailer, or pushcart before it can…
Read full rule →Murfreesboro
Some RestrictionsMurfreesboro requires a City-issued mobile food service permit, displayed at all times, before any food truck operates…
Read full rule →Nashville
Some RestrictionsSelling food from a truck parked in Metro Nashville's public rights-of-way requires a truck vending permit from NDOT…
Read full rule →Shelby County
Some RestrictionsOperating a food truck in unincorporated Shelby County requires a permit for each vehicle from the county health…
Read full rule →Williamson County
Some RestrictionsA food truck operating on private property in Williamson County needs a Temporary Use Permit, good for six months per…
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.
Collierville
Significant RestrictionsIn the Town of Collierville, mobile frozen dessert vendors cannot sell from stationary locations on streets, Town…
Read full rule →Jackson
Significant RestrictionsJackson does not zone specific mobile-vending districts; instead, Municipal Code § 9-104(1)(k) requires the city…
Read full rule →Kingsport
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Kingsport, Tennessee, vending on a street or sidewalk needs a permit and is confined to fire district…
Read full rule →Knox County
Significant RestrictionsKnox County treats a mobile food vehicle as a "transient vendor" under Code section 12-31 and bars it from ever setting…
Read full rule →Knoxville
Significant RestrictionsKnoxville limits mobile food vending on private property to commercial, industrial, office, and open-space zones…
Read full rule →Memphis
Significant RestrictionsMemphis confines mobile food preparation vehicles to specific zoning districts under City Code § 9-52-93, Office…
Read full rule →Nashville
Significant RestrictionsMetro Nashville confines licensed street vending to downtown's DTC and CF zoning districts, carving out no-vending…
Read full rule →Smyrna
Significant RestrictionsIn the Town of Smyrna, Tennessee, a permitted peddler or vendor gets no exclusive right to a location in the public…
Read full rule →Chattanooga
Some RestrictionsChattanooga allows individual food trucks on private property only as a temporary use under a city permit, while…
Read full rule →Clarksville
Some RestrictionsClarksville sets no mapped food truck zones. Instead it bars selling from a vehicle in the business district or within…
Read full rule →Franklin
Some RestrictionsFranklin limits food truck vending by right to office, commercial, industrial, mixed-use, and institutional zoning…
Read full rule →Hendersonville
Some RestrictionsStand-alone mobile food vendors in Hendersonville must sit on a one-acre-plus commercial lot, at least 100 feet from…
Read full rule →Murfreesboro
Some RestrictionsMobile food trucks may vend from City-designated right-of-way spots, City parks and property at posted times, or…
Read full rule →Shelby County
Some RestrictionsShelby County limits mobile food trucks to specific zoning districts, plus set distances from schools, restaurants, and…
Read full rule →Williamson County
Some RestrictionsWilliamson County confines food trucks on private property to sites at least 200 feet from any existing…
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.
Shelby County
Heavy RestrictionsSelling food or drinks directly off public streets, highways or rights-of-way in unincorporated Shelby County is…
Read full rule →Chattanooga
Significant RestrictionsChattanooga bans mobile food units from city streets, sidewalks, and public property unless they operate inside a…
Read full rule →Collierville
Significant RestrictionsSection 92.01 bars any person in the Town of Collierville from using a public street, alley, sidewalk or right-of-way…
Read full rule →Jackson
Significant RestrictionsMunicipal Code § 9-105 bars any peddler, street barker, or solicitor, including a mobile food vendor operating under…
Read full rule →Kingsport
Significant RestrictionsKingsport's street vendor article lists what a sidewalk vendor cannot do: leave a stand unattended, park it overnight…
Read full rule →Murfreesboro
Significant RestrictionsEvery mobile food truck operating in Murfreesboro needs a city-issued permit, applied for with a $50 fee and a full set…
Read full rule →Nashville
Significant RestrictionsNashville bans pushcarts, wagons and vending stands on public property and rights-of-way unless the vendor holds a…
Read full rule →Franklin
Some RestrictionsPushcart food vendors in Franklin need a mobile food vending permit and cannot operate in the street right-of-way where…
Read full rule →Hendersonville
Some RestrictionsMobile food, produce, and merchandise vendors are permitted in Hendersonville's commercial zoning districts under…
Read full rule →Knoxville
Some RestrictionsMobile food units operating from Knoxville's designated sidewalk vending zones cannot shrink the clear pedestrian path…
Read full rule →Memphis
Some RestrictionsMemphis requires anyone selling food as a pedestrian vendor or push cart operator, from a non-motorized cart in a mall…
Read full rule →Spring Hill
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Spring Hill, Tennessee, a permitted peddler cannot hold a stationary location in the public streets or…
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