Street and Mobile Vending (Food Trucks)

Overview

The City’s Street Vending Bylaw offers a simple and flexible way for businesses to operate food trucks or other kinds of vending from a street vending vehicle. There are two kinds of business licences, and you can apply for one or both:

• Stationary vendor:

  • May operate in certain City-owned locations on a daily first-come first-serve basis.

  • May operate on private property in an industrial, institutional, or commercial zone where there is an established business and where the property owner has given written permission. The applicant must show that required number of off-street parking spaces for the established businesses is still met.

  • The vendor is responsible for collecting and disposing of garbage and debris within 100 metres of the street vending vehicle.

• Mobile vendor:

  • May operate in areas of the City zoned for residential use.

  • Cannot block the road for a period of time necessary to make a sale.

  • Must only sell pre-packaged or prepared food items.

  • Responsible for collecting and disposing of garbage and recyclables.

Requirements

Please see the Street Vending Licence Application Form and the Street Vending Bylaw for more details.

The street vending licence is valid for a year, and applicants must reapply for the licence each year. The fee is $180 for either a mobile vendor licence or stationary vendor licence, or $360 for both licences.

The City may require that a street vending vehicle be inspected for safety as part of the application.

Background

Street vending has been permitted in a handful of specific locations in the City for several years. But, the program has not been very popular. To encourage more street vending businesses, the City relaxed the fee structure in 2017. The City is now adding more street vending locations and program flexibility in response to feedback from vendors.

Council adopted the new Street Vending Bylaw in August 2018.