Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors in Washington (2026)
94 rules on the books across Washington, 40 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.
Washington: statewide
StatewideHeavy RestrictionsWashington WAC 246-215 enforced under RCW 43.20 establishes the statewide retail food code requiring mobile food units…
Read full rule →Bothell
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Bothell, Washington, a vendor truck is a permitted use in the OP, NB, CB, GC and LI zones under BMC §…
Read full rule →Grays Harbor County
Significant RestrictionsGrays Harbor County's fire code requires every mobile food preparation vehicle operating in the unincorporated county…
Read full rule →Lacey
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Lacey, Washington, a food vehicle cannot operate without a Chapter 5.12 LMC business license and…
Read full rule →Lynnwood
Significant RestrictionsEvery mobile food vendor operating in Lynnwood needs a mobile food vendor permit under Lynnwood Municipal Code §…
Read full rule →Port Townsend
Significant RestrictionsPort Townsend requires a street vendor/performer license for food carts and take-out windows on public streets, but…
Read full rule →Seattle
Significant RestrictionsSeattle charges $490 for the annual 8206-TRK fire permit on a mobile food preparation vehicle that burns LPG, CNG, or…
Read full rule →Auburn
Some RestrictionsAuburn food trucks and mobile vendors skip a city business license only if they operate 10 days or less per year and…
Read full rule →Bellevue
Some RestrictionsBellevue requires a fire code operational permit for any mobile food preparation vehicle equipped with appliances…
Read full rule →Bellingham
Some RestrictionsBellingham treats food trucks and mobile food vendors as a right-of-way use requiring a temporary permit from public…
Read full rule →Chelan County
Some RestrictionsAny mobile food preparation vehicle, food truck, trailer or cart operating in unincorporated Chelan County needs a fire…
Read full rule →Edmonds
Some RestrictionsOperating a food truck or cart in Edmonds requires a city street vendor business license plus a separate street use…
Read full rule →Everett
Some RestrictionsEverett mobile food vendors operating carts, booths, tents or kiosks need a city business license and a Snohomish…
Read full rule →Federal Way
Some RestrictionsFederal Way requires every mobile food or retail vendor, including food trucks, to obtain a business registration and…
Read full rule →Franklin County
Some RestrictionsAnyone selling food or merchandise from a vehicle on public streets, alleys or public ways in unincorporated Franklin…
Read full rule →Island County
Some RestrictionsIndividual food trucks may set up on private property in any Freeland zoning district that allows them with the owner's…
Read full rule →Kennewick
Some RestrictionsOperating a food truck in Kennewick requires a City business license under KMC 18.12.250(1)(a), plus health district…
Read full rule →Kent
Some RestrictionsKent requires a fire code operational permit for any mobile food preparation vehicle with appliances that produce smoke…
Read full rule →Kirkland
Some RestrictionsKirkland requires a fire operational permit for any mobile food preparation vehicle with appliances that produce smoke…
Read full rule →Lakewood
Some RestrictionsLakewood, Washington allows mobile food vending facilities as a permitted use across its neighborhood commercial…
Read full rule →Lewis County
Some RestrictionsOperating a food truck in unincorporated Lewis County requires a valid health permit from the county health officer…
Read full rule →Marysville
Some RestrictionsEvery mobile food vendor setting up on private property in Marysville must obtain a city business license, submit a…
Read full rule →Mason County
Some RestrictionsA food truck or other mobile food service unit operating in unincorporated Mason County is a 'food service…
Read full rule →Olympia
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Olympia, Washington (Thurston County), a mobile vendor needs a temporary use permit approved by the City…
Read full rule →Pasco
Some RestrictionsPasco requires every mobile vendor, including food trucks, to hold a mobile vending license before operating under PMC…
Read full rule →Puyallup
Some RestrictionsPuyallup licenses food trucks under the city's adopted food truck program guidelines and Chapter 20.70 PMC zoning rules…
Read full rule →Renton
Some RestrictionsRenton requires every mobile food vendor to carry two current approvals before serving: a Renton Regional Fire…
Read full rule →Richland
Some RestrictionsRichland regulates mobile food vending as a "portable food vendor," defined as a non-self-propelled cart-type stand…
Read full rule →Sammamish
Some RestrictionsSammamish requires a fire department operational permit for any mobile food preparation vehicle with appliances that…
Read full rule →Shoreline
Some RestrictionsA food truck or trailer that cooks with appliances producing smoke or grease-laden vapors, or that runs on LP-gas or…
Read full rule →Skagit County
Some RestrictionsAny person operating a food service establishment in unincorporated Skagit County, including a mobile or event-based…
Read full rule →Snohomish County
Some RestrictionsUnincorporated Snohomish County requires a fire code permit for any mobile food preparation vehicle equipped with an…
Read full rule →Spokane Valley
Some RestrictionsSpokane Valley treats mobile food vending as a supplemental zoning use, not a stand-alone business license. Before…
Read full rule →Tacoma
Some RestrictionsOperating a food truck on Tacoma's public ways requires a $225 City license, health department plan approval, fire…
Read full rule →Thurston County
Some RestrictionsThurston County Code § 14.16.140 decides when a mobile food or beverage unit needs a building permit. A unit stays…
Read full rule →Walla Walla County
Some RestrictionsEvery mobile food unit operating in unincorporated Walla Walla County must carry mechanical refrigeration sized to hold…
Read full rule →Whatcom County
Some RestrictionsAny mobile food cart or truck operating in Whatcom County is a 'food establishment' under the state Retail Food Code…
Read full rule →Yakima
Some RestrictionsYakima food trucks need a business license plus health-district approval and a designated commissary before operating.
Read full rule →Yakima County
Some RestrictionsYakima County's Fire Marshal's Office requires an operational permit before running a mobile food preparation vehicle…
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.
Bellevue
Significant RestrictionsBellevue treats mobile peddling, including food vending, as a Type D long-term right-of-way use under BCC 14.30.080…
Read full rule →Bellingham
Significant RestrictionsFood trucks operate in Bellingham's public right-of-way only under a temporary right-of-way use permit, and the city…
Read full rule →Everett
Significant RestrictionsEverett bars mobile food carts from bus stops and disabled parking spaces, and within five feet of alleys or driveways…
Read full rule →Kent
Significant RestrictionsSidewalk food vending in Kent requires a vending permit and is restricted to commercial or industrial zones, with a…
Read full rule →Lacey
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Lacey, Washington, LMC 16.70.050 allows retail stands, which include food vehicles, only in all…
Read full rule →Olympia
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Olympia, Washington, mobile vendors are a temporary use permitted in commercial districts and the…
Read full rule →Port Townsend
Significant RestrictionsPort Townsend confines all licensed street vending carts, temporary stands, and merchandise displays to the C-III…
Read full rule →Thurston County
Significant RestrictionsThurston County Code § 23.06.060(V)(2)(d) treats a mobile sidewalk food or beverage stand as a temporary use limited to…
Read full rule →Auburn
Some RestrictionsAuburn lets food trucks and mobile vendors operate in every nonresidential zone with no day limit, but caps…
Read full rule →Bothell
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Bothell, Washington, vendor carts and trucks are a permitted use in the OP, NB, CB, GC and LI zones, and…
Read full rule →Edmonds
Some RestrictionsEdmonds confines mobile food vending to nine named commercial zones plus adjacent unzoned or right-of-way property, and…
Read full rule →Federal Way
Some RestrictionsFederal Way sorts mobile food and retail vendors into three classes under FWRC 19.290.050, and where you can park…
Read full rule →Island County
Some RestrictionsFreeland's zoning code lets a single food truck operate on private property in any district where the use table allows…
Read full rule →Kennewick
Some RestrictionsKennewick limits vehicle-based food trucks to 13 named commercial and industrial zoning districts under KMC…
Read full rule →Lakewood
Some RestrictionsIn Lakewood, Washington (Pierce County), mobile food vending facilities, including carts and trucks, are a permitted…
Read full rule →Lewis County
Some RestrictionsLewis County's zoning use table at LCC § 17.42.020 lists 'mobile food units (food truck, mobile restaurant)' as a…
Read full rule →Lynnwood
Some RestrictionsLynnwood requires a mobile food vendor permit before a food truck sells anywhere in the city, with a separate…
Read full rule →Marysville
Some RestrictionsMarysville bans mobile food vending from residential zones and the rights-of-way that border them, from all other city…
Read full rule →Pasco
Some RestrictionsPasco confines mobile food vending to commercial and industrial areas under PMC 5.75.090(4): vending permits are not…
Read full rule →Pierce County
Some RestrictionsMobile food service, county code's term for espresso trucks and lunch wagons, can only operate in Pierce County's…
Read full rule →Puyallup
Some RestrictionsFood trucks in Puyallup fall outside the mobile-vendor chapter, which covers only ice cream trucks and pedal cabs, and…
Read full rule →Renton
Some RestrictionsRenton zoning caps mobile food vending at one unit per lot and keeps every unit at least fifty feet from any…
Read full rule →Richland
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Richland, Washington, mobile food vending is regulated as vehicle-based food service under RMC §…
Read full rule →Seattle
Some RestrictionsSeattle designates specific food-vehicle vending zones, most commonly in curb spaces adjacent to sidewalks. Zones are…
Read full rule →Spokane Valley
Some RestrictionsSpokane Valley's zoning code pins down where a mobile food vendor can set up: SVMC § 19.65.040(B)(3) confines the truck…
Read full rule →Tacoma
Some RestrictionsTacoma limits food truck vending to City-approved public-way locations in commercial zones, clear of driveways…
Read full rule →Whatcom County
Some RestrictionsMobile food carts are a permitted use in Whatcom County's Small Town Commercial District, listed alongside restaurants…
Read full rule →Yakima
Some RestrictionsYakima confines mobile and street vending to nonresidential zoning districts and keeps carts and food trucks 300 feet…
Read full rule →Chelan County
Light RestrictionsIn the Peshastin Urban Growth Area of unincorporated Chelan County, the district use chart at Chelan County Code §…
Read full rule →Skagit County
Light RestrictionsSkagit County's Unified Development Code has no standalone mobile-vending ordinance. The only rule addressing food…
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.
Auburn
Significant RestrictionsAuburn requires a Type C right-of-way use permit to run a sidewalk vending cart selling food, beverages, flowers…
Read full rule →Bothell
Significant RestrictionsVendor carts can operate on public sidewalks in the City of Bothell, Washington only with a public area use permit…
Read full rule →Burien
Significant RestrictionsIn the City of Burien, Washington, BMC 5.10.100(3) gives no peddler, transient sales representative or ice cream vendor…
Read full rule →Everett
Significant RestrictionsStreet-food carts, stands and kiosks in Everett need a city business license and a Snohomish County health permit, and…
Read full rule →Island County
Significant RestrictionsUnincorporated Island County flatly bars using a county road right-of-way as a site to vend or sell personal property…
Read full rule →Kent
Significant RestrictionsSelling food, drinks, flowers, or merchandise from a cart on a Kent sidewalk requires a vending permit under KCC…
Read full rule →Lynnwood
Significant RestrictionsLynnwood requires city approval before any mobile food vendor sells from public streets or sidewalks, and Lynnwood…
Read full rule →Port Townsend
Significant RestrictionsPort Townsend requires a street vendor license to sell food or merchandise from a cart on public sidewalks, and…
Read full rule →Renton
Significant RestrictionsRenton only allows mobile food vendors to set up in the public right-of-way inside the Downtown Business District, and…
Read full rule →Thurston County
Significant RestrictionsThurston County requires anyone peddling goods or food on public streets, sidewalks, or door-to-door in unincorporated…
Read full rule →Bellevue
Some RestrictionsMobile food peddling on a Bellevue public sidewalk or street is regulated as a Type D long-term right-of-way use under…
Read full rule →Bellingham
Some RestrictionsBellingham requires anyone selling food or goods on a public sidewalk who isn't tied to the adjacent business to get a…
Read full rule →Edmonds
Some RestrictionsA food cart or vendor working an Edmonds sidewalk must leave five feet of clearance and keep the nonmotorized unit to…
Read full rule →Federal Way
Some RestrictionsA mobile food or retail vendor working Federal Way's public sidewalks and rights-of-way needs a separate permit from…
Read full rule →Kennewick
Some RestrictionsSelling food or goods on Kennewick sidewalks as a peddler, without a fixed storefront, requires a City-issued Class II…
Read full rule →Lacey
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Lacey, Washington, a food or beverage cart is a retail stand that must fit LMC 16.70.040: a vending cart…
Read full rule →Lakewood
Some RestrictionsSetting up a food cart on a Lakewood, Washington sidewalk or a truck on a public street takes two different permits…
Read full rule →Marysville
Some RestrictionsMarysville limits mobile food vending units to three days a week per site, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. hours, and bars any…
Read full rule →Olympia
Some RestrictionsIn the City of Olympia, Washington, a mobile vendor on a public sidewalk must follow eight rules in OMC §…
Read full rule →Pasco
Some RestrictionsPasco caps sidewalk food-cart vending at two hours per location under PMC 5.75.090(3)(b) and requires vendors to keep a…
Read full rule →Richland
Some RestrictionsRichland allows nonmotorized food vending carts on city sidewalks only under a Development Services sidewalk use…
Read full rule →Seattle
Some RestrictionsMobile food carts and trucks in Seattle must comply with SDOT vending permits, King County Health requirements, Seattle…
Read full rule →Tacoma
Some RestrictionsTacoma licenses long-term sidewalk vending carts in commercial zones, capping cart height at 5 feet and length at 96…
Read full rule →Walla Walla County
Some RestrictionsWalla Walla County's peddler and hawker license does not cover food carts or sidewalk stands: licensed food vendors are…
Read full rule →Yakima
Some RestrictionsYakima street vendors selling food or drinks from a non-motorized cart on a sidewalk or plaza need the same displayed…
Read full rule →