If you would like to trade in a public place you are required to apply to council for a mobile shop licence, unless you only intend to trade as part of an organised market or event.
Food verification fee and MPI food business levy
From 1 July 2025, new fees for food businesses will come into place.
Food verification fee – we will be implementing changes to the way we invoice a food verification fee as we move away from a ratepayer subsidised model to a user-pays model. More information can be found on the Food verification webpage.
MPI food business levy – MPI have introduced legislation that requires all businesses registered under the Food Act 2014 to pay MPI an annual fee. Under this legislation, council is required to collect it on behalf, and you can expect an invoice for this in July 2025 and annually thereafter. For more information, visit the MPI website.
Mobile shops are vehicles from which goods, not services, are offered for sale. Mobile shops selling food and beverages must also have a registered food control plan or national programme. Council will monitor activities in public places regularly to ensure compliance of licence conditions.
All mobile shop traders using TCC power must use an approved commercial power lead that is tagged, tested, and fitted wih a certified weatherproof cover.
Mobile shops selling food
If you are establishing a new mobile shop or taking over an existing one you will need to register a Food Control Plan or National Programme under the Food Act 2014 (this is in addition to any application for a mobile shop licence in a public place).
Registering a food business
Mobile shop trading areas
Mobile shops can trade at various locations across the city under various restrictions.
Road reserve
Mobile shops cannot trade on any footpath or on the roadway (The Roadway is the part of the road between kerbs intended for vehicular use), unless trading directly in front of a residential address for a maximum period of 15 minutes at a time and not at the same location more than once a day. Roads with speed limits greater than 50 km/hr are also prohibited.
Mobile shops can only trade between sunrise and sunset and should not:
a. obstruct or be likely to obstruct traffic,
b. obstruct or be likely to obstruct the view of any corner, bend, intersection, vehicle crossing, traffic sign or traffic signal,
c. distract unduly or be likely to distract unduly the attention of road users, or
d. constitute or be likely to constitute in any way a danger to road users.
Parks and reserves
Some parks and reserves are prohibited or only have tenders sites.
Each year council invites mobile shops to tender for a license to trade on certain sites. Please refer to the temporary traders licence webpage for information on tendered mobile shop and temporary commercial activities licenses on reserves.
When trading on any park or reserve the licensee must:
a. only trade from a formed carpark,
b. occupy a maximum of two car parks (no other supporting infrastructure is allowed on the site),
c. not trade in the reserve or park listed if the maximum number of mobile shops trading from the reserve or park as listed below has been reached,
d. during an approved activity, council may reduce or increase the number of mobile shops permitted to trade in reserves and parks,
e. only trade between sunrise and sunset.
Prohibited locations
Mobile shops are not permitted to trade in the following prohibited locations:
- Any road administered by council that has a speed limit of more than 50 km/hr
- Any reserve or park without a formed car park
- Any tendered mobile shop location
- Off road Council car parks, other than those in reserves
- Cameron Road
- Turret Road
- Waihi Road
- The Strand
- Fraser Street between 11th Avenue and 18th Avenue
- 15th Avenue between Turret Road and Cameron Road
- Commons Avenue between Maunganui Road and Marine Parade
- Grace Avenue between Maunganui Road and Marine Parade
- Marine Parade between Adams Avenue to Grace Avenue, and between Pacific Avenue to Banks Avenue
- Marine Parade between Grace Avenue and Pacific Avenue unless the mobile shop operator has a tendered licence
- The Mall between Salisbury Avenue and Prince Avenue, and between Leinster Avenue and Adams Avenue
- The landward side of The Mall between Prince Avenue and Leinster Avenue
- Salisbury Avenue
- Maranui Street from Sunrise Avenue to Sandhurst Drive
- Pāpāmoa Beach Road from Sandhurst Drive to a point 30 metres east of Coast Boulevard
- Tauranga Domain
- Bethlehem Hall Site
- Cambridge Park
- Matua Park
- May Street Reserve
- Morland Fox Park
- Scout Reserve
- Welcome Bay Hall Site
- Welcome Bay Scout Hall Site
Also, at some reserves there is a maximum number of mobile shops permitted on a first come basis. See below for the allocated allowances:
| Reserve/park |
Maximum number of mobile shops |
| Fergusson Park |
2 |
| Carlton Reserve |
2 |
| Greerton Park |
2 |
| Waipuna Park |
2 |
| Links Ave Reserve |
1 |
| Macville Park |
1 |
| Arataki Park (Zambuk Way car park) |
1 |
| Gordon Spratt Reserve |
4 |
| Rotary Park |
1 |
| Tye Park |
1 |
| Pāpāmoa Domain |
2 |
| Harrisons Cut |
1 |
| Pemberton Park |
1 |