Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Virginia (2026)

Mobile food units operating in Virginia must obtain a permit from the Virginia Department of Health under uniform…

Alexandria requires every food truck vendor to hold an annual food truck vendor permit from the city manager, on top of…

No one may run a food truck in Norfolk's public right-of-way without a vendor license issued under Section 42-39(b), on…

Arlington County requires every mobile food unit and limited-service mobile food unit to hold an annual Food…

Chesapeake requires every mobile food unit owner to register with the commissioner of the revenue or director of…

Any mobile food preparation vehicle in Chesterfield that cooks with equipment producing smoke or grease-laden vapors…

Fairfax County requires a food establishment permit specifically for Mobile Food Vending from VDOT rights-of-way, valid…

Every Hampton food truck needs an annual permit from the city manager, plus a current business license, state health…

Henrico County treats a food truck like any other eating establishment under its business license tax code. Every…

Mobile food vendors operating on private property in unincorporated Loudoun County need a County business license and…

Lynchburg requires every food truck, trailer or cart to hold a City business license before operating and renew it…

Food truck vendors operating on private property in Newport News need an annual $150 food truck vendor permit from the…

Portsmouth requires every mobile food facility, including push-carts, trailers and food trucks, to hold a health…

Prince William County requires every mobile food unit owner to register with the Director of Finance before operating…

Any mobile food unit operating in Richmond counts as a 'food establishment' under Section 6-267 and needs an annual…

Roanoke County, Virginia (outside the cities of Roanoke and Salem) licenses food trucks as peddlers of "family supplies…

Stafford County requires an operational permit from the fire marshal's office for any mobile food preparation vehicle…

Virginia Beach requires mobile food vendors to hold a health department and fire department permit before the…

Mobile food trucks may vend only inside County-designated zones, Tysons, Dranesville, and Mount Vernon, on commercially…

Hampton restricts sidewalk and right-of-way sales: no vending on roads posted above 45 mph or within 25 feet of an…

Norfolk confines every food truck, food vendor, ice cream truck and merchandise vendor to three kinds of ground under…

Portsmouth bans food trucks from public roadways in residential zoning districts outside downtown, and allows them in…

Vending on a Central Business District sidewalk requires its own permit under Section 6-482, capped at one location per…

Roanoke lets the city manager permit non-motorized food and beverage carts on public rights-of-way and city property…

Virginia Beach bars street sales in the public right-of-way on any street posted above 25 mph or within 25 feet of an…

Outside Charlottesville and Scottsville, Albemarle County's zoning ordinance names food truck sales as an allowed…

The director of transportation and environmental services designates specific on-street parking spaces where food…

Loudoun County limits mobile food vendors to 3 per site at a time and dictates exactly where on the lot they can park…

Lynchburg confines mobile food trucks and trailers to the B-3, B-4, B-5, IN-2, I-1 and I-2 zoning districts, while food…

Food trucks operating on private property in Newport News need a zoning permit and can't set up on vacant lots or lots…

Selling food or beverages on Newport News streets or sidewalks without a vendor permit is unlawful, and the city…

Norfolk lets food and merchandise vendors sell from a pushcart or stand only inside a sidewalk spot the city manager…

Portsmouth requires a city permit before anyone vends food, drinks or flowers from a mobile cart on downtown streets or…

Selling food or merchandise on a Richmond sidewalk outside downtown is legal under Section 6-456, but only if the…

Peddling ice cream, hot dogs, sandwiches and similar food from a cart, wagon or vehicle is banned within 300 feet of…

Alexandria lets permitted food trucks vend on private property with the owner's written consent, at farmer's markets…

Mobile food and drink peddlers in unincorporated Chesterfield County pay a $25 license tax per vendor or vehicle and…

Anyone canvassing, peddling, or soliciting goods on Fairfax County streets, including from a temporary stand, must…

Hampton requires anyone who carries goods place to place within the city and sells or barters them to hold a peddler's…

Loudoun County caps mobile food and merchandise carts at 3 per site under Zoning Ordinance Section 3.03.H, bars…

Street vending on a Roanoke sidewalk must leave at least 42 inches of clear passage under Sec. 30-9.2(13)(d), and the…

Roanoke County classifies a food truck as a peddler or itinerant merchant under County Code § 10-45, so operators need…