Sidewalk Vending in Long Beach: Permits, the Health Rules for Carts and Where Vending Is Allowed

Long Beach’s sidewalk vending ordinance, adopted after changes in state law including the Safe Sidewalk Vending Act (SB 946), took effect February 26, 2024¹². The city’s guidance is split between the Business License Division and the Health Department, and the two sets of pages do not always agree. This page puts the licenses, the health rules for carts and the where-and-when rules in one place. A cart that is a motorized vehicle is not a sidewalk vendor at all; that is a food truck, covered in Food Truck Permits in Long Beach. The section pillar, How to Open a Food Business in Long Beach, compares every food path.

The short answer

The two licenses

All sidewalk vendors need a Business License, and food vendors need a health permit¹. The Business License Division’s FAQ says vendors must have “a business license, which costs $300” and “a sidewalk vending permit, issued at the same time as the business license”². The FAQ is dated September 15, 2024, so check the current amount with the division at (562) 570-6211 before you apply².

The code adds a seller’s permit from the state tax agency “to the extent required by law”⁹. A sidewalk vendor is defined as a person who sells “food or merchandise from pushcart, stand, display, pedal-driven cart, wagon, showcase, rack or other nonmotorized conveyance” or from one’s person on a public sidewalk or pedestrian path¹⁵.

The health permit for a cart

A food cart sells under a CMFO permit, which the FAQ says is “for limited food preparation that can support food safety practices during sidewalk food vending operations”². The Health Department’s enforcement FAQ is more specific: a CMFO is “restricted to Limited Food Preparation only”, so you can slice and chop non-hazardous foods that were washed at an approved facility or reheat food prepared at an approved facility, but you cannot thaw or cook potentially hazardous foods for later use⁶. A pop-up restaurant is not a CMFO and is not eligible for the permit; the FAQ says such operators can use a Temporary Food Facility permit with an approved community or special event⁶.

State law, as the city’s April 2026 memo puts it, “requires food vendors to secure a commissary”¹⁰.

What the cart must carry

The Health Department sets equipment by food type⁷:

Source:⁷. Cold food must stay below 41 degrees F and hot food above 140 degrees F⁷. Anyone handling unpackaged food needs a food handler card within 30 days of the health permit’s approval, and the permit and decal must be displayed on the unit⁷. A change to the cart’s size or accessories after the final plan check requires reinspection⁷.

What it costs

The Health fee schedule (the version stamped June 16, 2026, still within the fee year that ended September 30, 2026) lists these cart lines³:

Source:³. The schedule does not use the CMFO name, and the FAQ says only that “health permit fees vary depending on the type of food being sold and how it is prepared” and that vendors “may also need to pay plan check fees”²³. The schedule’s mobile-facility plan-check lines run $288, $512 and $1,339 by food type; ask Health which applies to your cart³. The FAQ puts the cost of a food cart at “about $5,000 to $25,000”².

Financial help, and its dates

The Sidewalk to Success program “covers the required business license and permit fees, as well as health permit fees, for operating during the first year of business”, plus up to $450 reimbursement for required insurance, “as long as program funds are available”¹¹. The FAQ page says the same help is “available through February 26, 2025”, while an April 2, 2026 city memo says the city “is no longer accepting new applications for the Free Cart Program” and that fee coverage continues “while this funding lasts”²¹⁰. Whether money remains for a new applicant is a question for the Health and Business License lines, or BizCare at (562) 570-4249¹.

Where and when you may vend

The FAQ says “sidewalk vendors are allowed throughout the City”, and the rules below are what that sentence is subject to².

Hours. The city’s operating-conditions sheet⁵:

Space and equipment. A set-up may take no more than 100 square feet; umbrellas must be 8 feet or taller and secured; one secured canopy up to 10 by 10 feet is allowed. No speakers or amplified sound (bells and chimes only for roaming vendors), no red or blue flashing signs, and the vendor must clear trash within 10 feet and may not use public receptacles⁵.

Distances for stationary vending. The city’s distancing guide⁴:

Source:⁴. The guide adds that there is no vending in areas zoned exclusively residential⁴.

Official pages disagree The Health Department’s food-setup page says the unit must be “at least 20 feet” from the nearest building entrance and “at least 10 feet” from a crosswalk or bus stop, must stand on the street no more than 6 inches from the sidewalk edge, and must not be placed on any sidewalk “less than 12 feet wide”⁷. The Business License Division’s distancing guide, which cites chapter 5.73, gives 10 feet from an entrance or exit to a building (the code reads “Within ten (10) feet of an entrance or exit to a building/structure/facility, fire escape, or emergency exit”), 5 feet from a bus stop and 4 feet of clear sidewalk⁴⁹. Health’s 20 feet is measured from the nearest building entrance, so the two pages differ by 10 feet at a doorway. Plan around the larger distances and confirm with Health at (562) 570-4132 when your plan check is scheduled.

Where vending is not allowed. A separate city sheet lists places with no sidewalk vending: private or leased city-owned property, including the convention and entertainment center, Shoreline Village, the Pike Outlets, the Rainbow Harbor Esplanade, Rancho Los Alamitos, city golf courses and community gardens; protected habitat such as Colorado Lagoon, El Dorado Nature Center and the Los Cerritos Wetlands; and, in the sheet’s words, “Within 500ft of the event, but may be closer depending on the size and type of event” for a farmers’ market, swap meet or special event area¹². The code sets the buffer by event size: 250 feet from an event with fewer than 5,000 attendees where limited venue access and egress is not a factor; for a larger event where it is not a factor, 500 feet from any entrance or exit or 250 feet from the perimeter; and 500 feet for all other events⁹. Vending age-restricted goods (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, weapons), adult material, animals and unattended set-ups is also barred¹². The city’s operations page links an interactive vending map and a map of high-volume pedestrian zones¹³.

Enforcement

The ordinance’s enforcement is limited to administrative remedies: site inspections, repeat visits, additional notices, then administrative citations with fines, and in limited cases license suspension or revocation or impounding of equipment⁶. The city’s FAQ, last updated October 7, 2024, says enforcement began the week of July 22, 2024, after an education-first period⁶. The Health Department separately can order a food vendor without a permit to cease operations, impound equipment and food, and suspend or revoke a health permit; continued violations “can lead to issuance of a Notice of Violation, scheduling of an Office Hearing”, and “a referral to City Prosecutor when applicable”⁶. The fines are set in chapter 5.73.160: administrative fines not exceeding $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second within one year and $500 for each additional violation within a year, and the city may revoke the vending permit on the fourth violation. Vending without a valid permit carries fines not exceeding $250, $500 and $1,000 on the same schedule⁹. Complaints go through the Go Long Beach app, the Business License Division at (562) 570-6211 or Health at (562) 570-4132⁶.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a permit to sell food from a cart on a Long Beach sidewalk?

Yes. A Sidewalk Vendor business license and vending permit, plus a CMFO health permit from the Health Department if you sell food; the code exempts only a narrow case of 25 square feet or less selling prepackaged non-hazardous food or whole uncooked produce¹²⁹.

How much is a sidewalk vending license in Long Beach?

The city’s FAQ, updated September 15, 2024, says the business license costs $300; confirm the current amount with the Business License Division².

How much is the health permit for a food cart?

In the fee year that ended September 30, 2026, the Health schedule listed food service carts at $325 a year without plumbing and $800 with plumbing³. The council approved updated city fee schedules effective October 1, 2026¹⁵; the Health Department’s page still links the FY26 mid-year schedule¹⁶, and the city’s memo proposed an average increase of 39 percent for adjusted fees¹⁴. The figures here are the schedule in force through September 30, 2026.

Can I vend in a residential neighborhood?

Only as a roaming vendor, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. or sunset, whichever is later. Stationary vending is not allowed in areas zoned exclusively residential⁴⁵.

Can I sell in the Pike Outlets or near the Aquarium?

The city’s sheet lists the Pike Outlets, Shoreline Village and the Rainbow Harbor Esplanade among private or leased city-owned properties where sidewalk vending is not allowed; business there “may be allowed if authorized by the property owner”, under different requirements¹². The enforcement FAQ adds that many areas south of Ocean near the convention center and Rainbow Harbor are leased to private organizations and do not permit sidewalk vending, including the Pike Outlet and the Aquarium of the Pacific areas⁶.

Is there help paying for the license and permits?

The Sidewalk to Success program covers first-year license, permit and health fees and up to $450 for insurance “as long as program funds are available”; the city stopped taking new applications for its Free Cart Program in April 2026¹⁰¹¹.

What happens if I vend without a license or permit?

Notices and administrative citations, with possible impoundment and, for food, a cease-operations order from Health⁶. Under chapter 5.73.160 the fine for vending without a valid permit is not more than $250 for a first violation, $500 for a second within a year and $1,000 for each additional one⁹.

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