Mobile food vendors
How to apply
You need a permit to sell food from a mobile vehicle within the City of Sydney area. The local approvals policy for mobile food vending vehicles (download below) applies to all mobile food vending permit applications and approvals to operate.
The policy sets out the relevant legislative requirements for safe food handling and preparation practices, and conditions for on-street trading including hours of operation, permitted streets and proximity to other businesses. It also covers the 2 types of mobile food vending permits:
- Mobile food van: a moveable vehicle used to sell tea, coffee, drinks, cakes, sweets or similar food. The mobile food van routinely changes location and can make intermittent stops of up to 15 minutes at a time. The current fee is $205 for 12 months.
- Mobile food truck*: a moveable vehicle used for on-site preparation and to sell hot and cold food. The food truck routinely changes location and must not remain in the same location for more than 4 hours at a time. The current fee is $300 for 12 months.
*Please note: currently permits to operate a mobile food truck are only available to the operators selected to participate in the Sydney Food Trucks trial. An extension to the trial was approved by Council on 13 May 2013. No further permits will be issued until the trial has been evaluated in March 2014.
Mobile food vehicles support the City's OPEN Sydney Strategy for the late night economy. During community consultation in mid-2011, many people said they wanted more and better quality late night food options in Sydney.
Application checklist
To apply for a mobile food van permit:
- review the mobile food vending vehicles – local approvals policy (download below)
- submit your completed and signed application form (download below)
- ensure supporting documentation listed on the form is included
- pay the application fee, currently $205 for 12 months.
Your application will then be assessed by the City's Health Inspections Unit. A vehicle inspection will be required before a permit will be issued.
Sydney Food Trucks trial
As part of the food truck trial, 9 food trucks will be operating across the local area. They offer diverse dining options on the go both during the day and at night serving everything from your yum cha favourites to kingfish creviche, vegie burgers with fresh juices, organic gourmet pizzas and soft tacos washed down with sparkling, non-alcoholic sangria.
The City has commissioned a report to evaluate the food trucks. There were 408 food truck customers interviewed as part of the research. The report is available to download below.
Find out more about the trial and download the app to find out where the trucks are serving in real time at the Sydney Food Trucks site.
Mobile vending at events
To operate a mobile food van at events within the City, you will need to apply for a temporary food stall permit.
Contacts
To find out more about mobile food van permits, please contact:
Customer Service02 9265 9333council@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
If you require more information about the Sydney Food Trucks trial, or if you want to provide feedback, please contact:
Lana Zegura
Project Manager, Sydney Food Trucks02 9265 9051lzegura@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
Links
| Downloads | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mobile food vending vehicles - local approvals policy | PDF 669.8 KB | Download |
| Mobile food vendors application form | PDF 146.7 KB | Download |
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Last updated: Friday, 7 June 2013