Mobile Food Vending

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Food Truck

Food trucks and vendors bring vibrancy to Edmonton’s streets and parks. Learn more about the requirements for mobile food vending before setting up shop.

Program Update

Effective May 12, 2025, the following changes are effective for mobile food vendors:

All mobile food vendors on City property must hold a valid City of Edmonton Food Truck/Food Cart business license, ensure they are compliant with all municipal and provincial health and safety regulations and requirements and be prepared to provide valid documentation upon request by City or provincial authorities.

In order to be eligible to participate in events and festivals taking place on City property, mobile food vendors must be on the Approved Mobile Food Vendor List for Events and Festivals. Vendors are not required to be on this list for general roaming operations.

Mobile Food Vending Terms and Conditions

The City of Edmonton does not require or issue permits for mobile food vending on City property.

However, all mobile food vendors operating on City property are required to hold a valid City of Edmonton business license, in the Food Truck/Food Cart category, and abide by the Mobile Food Vending Terms and Conditions. This includes the vendor code of conduct, indemnity and insurance, compliance, operational requirements and exclusion zones where vending is not permitted.

Note that the City does not manage vending permissions on private property. Vendors must get permission from property owners to vend on privately owned land and parking lots.

How to Become an Approved Mobile Food Vendor for Events and Festivals

Mobile food vendors must be approved in order to be eligible to participate in events and festivals taking place on City property. Approved vendors are identified on the Approved Mobile Food Vendor List for Events and Festivals.

To be on the Approved Mobile Food Vendor List for Events and Festivals, vendors must submit the following documents to vending@edmonton.ca:

Valid City of Edmonton Food Truck/Food Cart business license, and
Valid Certificate of Insurance (COI)
Note: The approved vendor list identifies individual vending units by business name and AHS placard numbers, along with a contact phone number. For first-time applications only, vendors must also submit for EACH vending unit they operate:
- Alberta Health Services placard number (for example EDM-1234),
- A contact phone number, and
- 4 photos of the vending unit - one clear photo of each full side of the vending unit. The vehicle license plate (if applicable) and AHS placard (sticker) must each be clearly visible in the photos.
  *Note: It can take up to 5 business days for a mobile food vendor to initially be placed onto the Approved List, and up to 3 business days to refresh or update documents to maintain approved status.

Vendors are responsible to manage their documents and to submit updated valid copies to vending@edmonton.ca in order to stay on the approved vendor list. The City does not monitor for document expiry or notify vendors. The “Approved Until” date on the approved vendor list reflects the vendor’s next document expiration date. Once that date has been reached and the document on file has expired, the vendor is automatically removed from the list. Vendors should submit updated valid documents at least three (3) business days in advance of the “Approved Until” date.

City of Edmonton Business License

All mobile food vendors must hold a valid City of Edmonton business license (Food Trucks/Food Cart category). The business license must be publicly displayed with the vending unit.

To be on the Approved Mobile Food Vendor List for Events and Festivals, vendors must submit a valid City of Edmonton business license (Food Truck/Food Cart category) to vending@edmonton.ca.

You can apply for a business licence application online. Please note, business licensing is not managed by the Vending program; we cannot process or review business licence applications. Business licence applications are only accepted if submitted online.

Certificate of Insurance (COI)

Do mobile food vendors need Commercial General Liability (CGL) insurance?

For general roaming (streets, parks, sidewalks): CGL insurance is not required, but it is highly recommended.
To participate in events and festivals: CGL insurance is required.

To be on the Approved Mobile Food Vendor List for Events and Festivals, vendors must submit a valid Certificate of Insurance (COI) to vending@edmonton.ca, as follows:

Must include not less than $2,000,000.00 (two-million dollars) coverage against bodily injury, personal injury, products and completed operations, and property damage including loss of use thereof.
Must include Automobile and/or Non-owned Automobile Liability Insurance on all vehicles owned, operated or licensed in the use or operation of mobile food vending in an amount no less than $2,000,000.00 (two-million dollars).
Must specifically include “The City of Edmonton” as Additional Insured.
The Certificate of Insurance must be endorsed to provide the City of Edmonton with a 30-day advance written notice of cancellation.

**Note that only a valid COI is acceptable (as described above). The City does not accept policy documents, policy applications, binder documents, insurance letters or payment receipts as proof of acceptable insurance. On the COI, “certificate holder” is not the same as “Additional Insured”.

Vehicle Registration

Vehicle registration is a provincial requirement. Documents must be kept on hand with the vending unit, but are not submitted to the City.

Commercial Vehicle Registration is typically required for Food Trucks. Trailers and tow vehicles are registered separately.

Registering a vehicle in Alberta
Registering a commercial vehicle

AHS Food Handling Permit

Food Handling Permits are a provincial requirement and are issued by Alberta Health Services (AHS). A valid AHS placard (sticker) must be clearly visible on the vending unit. A valid AHS Food Handling Permit, showing the matching placard number (e.g. EDM-1234) must be kept on hand with the vending unit but is not submitted to the City.

AHS has specific definitions for Mobile Food Vending Units. The AHS Food Handling Permit Application must be submitted to AHS for review and approval.

Contact 780-735-1763 or foodpermits.edmontonzone@ahs.ca.

Safety & Fire Declaration Forms

Mobile food vendors must comply with provincial STANDATA requirements for food trucks/food carts. Vendors must have valid documentation on hand demonstrating compliance with the requirements, such as completed inspection declaration forms or inspection reports. These documents are not submitted to the City.

For easy documentation of compliance, the City of Edmonton has developed inspection declaration forms. These forms are completed by certified third-party inspectors and are valid for one year from the date of inspection. Inspectors approve a mobile food vending unit is compliant with specific regulations applicable to that unit. It is recommended that vendors make use of the City’s declaration forms. Inspection technical reports can be difficult to read and understand.

Electrical Requirements Declaration Form
Fire Safety Requirements Declaration Form
Plumbing and Gas Requirements Declaration Form
Ventilation Requirements Declaration Form

Not all requirements will apply to all vending units, depending on the setup, or if certain systems have not been installed. Third-party inspectors will be able to assess which requirements are applicable.

Park Vending

General Parks Vending (Roaming)

No permits are required. Mobile food vendors may operate in parks in accordance with the Mobile Food Vending Terms and Conditions. Vendors must comply with all conditions and restrictions, including use of pathways/sidewalks, minimum distances from playgrounds and ensuring safe and unobstructed pedestrian and public vehicle movement and access.

Restricted Vendor Parking Zones in Specified Parks

In some parks, where demand is high and vehicular parking space is limited, or with accessibility or safety concerns for vehicles and pedestrians, motorized mobile food vending units, such as food trucks and food trailers, are only permitted to operate within restricted vendor parking zones. Motorized mobile food vending units found to be parked or operating outside of the identified zones will be subject to removal from the park.

These parking zones are not reserved for mobile food vendors and are still open to public use on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Street Roaming

No permits are required. Mobile food vendors may operate on City streets in accordance with the Mobile Food Vending Terms and Conditions. Vendors must comply with all conditions and restrictions, including parking, tow vehicles and serving curbside only.

Parking of motorized vending units, such as food trucks or trailers, on City streets is governed by the Traffic Bylaw 5590 for motor vehicles and the Public Spaces Bylaw 20700.

Vendors may park in approved, legal street parking locations on public property, and if in a paid parking area, must pay to park and need to abide by any parking restrictions, including time limits.

Paying parking fees is a requirement of the traffic regulations, regardless of what vehicle is parked.

Sidewalk Carts

No permits are required. Mobile food vendors may operate on sidewalks and pathways in accordance with the Mobile Food Vending Terms and Conditions. Vendors must comply with all conditions and restrictions, including cart types and sizes, setup locations and ensure safe and unobstructed pedestrian movement and access.

Events, Festivals and Farmers Markets

Events or festivals on City property are usually put on by private event organizers who have obtained an event license or permit from the City. The City may also organize and run its own events or festivals.

“Events and festivals” include Civic Events/Festivals and Neighborhood Events, and programs run by the City such as “Lunch Trucks on the Square” at Churchill Square.

Event organizers may invite mobile food vendors to participate in their event or festival, or they may accept requests or applications from vendors to participate. This varies based on the event or festival and the organizer. The City does not arrange for vendors to participate in events or festivals that are operated by private organizers.

In order to participate in ANY events or festivals on City property:

Mobile food vendors must be approved by the event organizer to participate.
Event organizers must only use vendors that are listed on the Approved Mobile Food Vendor List for Events and Festivals for the full duration of the event or festival.

Note: It can take up to 5 business days for a mobile food vendor to be put onto the Approved List. Please see details in the How to Become an Approved Mobile Food Vendor for Events and Festivals section of this page.

During the operating hours of an event or festival, no other mobile food vending is permitted within two blocks of the event or festival boundary (the Exclusion Zone). If a vendor refuses to leave this Exclusion Zone, Bylaw Enforcement action will be required.

Similarly, mobile food vendors must be invited to participate in farmers markets by the organizer of the market. During the operating hours of a farmers’ market, no other mobile food vending is permitted within two blocks of the event or festival boundary (the Exclusion Zone). If a vendor refuses to leave this Exclusion Zone, Bylaw Enforcement action will be required.

Neighbourhood Event Vendor Declaration

This Neighbourhood Event Vendor Declaration is intended to provide the opportunity for service providers, suppliers and merchants to self-manage their participation at neighbourhood events they have been invited to attend by event organizers on City-owned parkland.

Neighborhood Event Declarations do not apply to mobile food vendors, who must be on the Approved Mobile Food Vendor List for Events and Festivals in order to participate in a neighborhood event.

If an event organizer would like to hire/invite mobile food vendors (such as food trucks or food carts) to attend their neighbourhood event, the event organizer must ensure that the vendor is on the Approved Mobile Food Vendor List for Events and Festivals for the full duration of the event.

Inspections and Enforcement

The City of Edmonton, by its authorized representatives, may carry out inspection of the Vending Unit and the Vending Location at any time for the purpose of determining whether the Vendor is in compliance.

All required documentation associated with mobile vending must be provided immediately upon request to members of Bylaw Enforcement, Park Rangers, Edmonton Police Services and employees of the City of Edmonton.

Contact Us

Vending Program

Email	vending@edmonton.ca

311 Contact Centre

Online	Contact 311 Online

If you are calling from outside of Edmonton: 780-442-5311

Phone	311
TTY	711