Cart Public Vending Program

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The City of Atlanta provides opportunities to vending entrepreneurs to operate in the public right-of-way from 29 designated cart locations on sidewalks, plazas and parks primarily within downtown Atlanta. Carts must be non-motorized, must be removed when not in operation, and must be approved as meeting the city’s design specifications.

Questions?

Email vending@atlantaga.gov.

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Cart Lottery 2025

The Cart Lottery will take place on April 3rd at 12:00 PM via Zoom. Prior to the lottery, participants will need to complete a form indicating the locations you are interested in.

What is the public cart program?

The City of Atlanta’s Public Vending Program contains 29 permitted cart- vending locations on public right-of-way sidewalks throughout Atlanta where small business owners may operate their businesses.

The Department of City Planning, Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) provides oversight and management of the City’s public vending program.

Small business owners randomly selected through the Annual Cart Lottery will be offered a kiosk location in which they can accept or deny. If the small-business owner accepts, they will be asked to meet a series of compliance requirements before operations can begin. Please read detailed program guidelines here in entirety.

At present, eighteen cart locations are available to small business owners participating in the Annual Cart Lottery this application process. See available cart locations here. You can use this in conjunction with the Public Cart Location Map

No individual prospective vendor may receive the ability to apply for more than ten percent of the vending cart valid vendor locations available in the lottery-type selection process.

I'm interested in operating a vending cart from one of the city's 29 designated vendor cart locations. How do I go about that?

Operating a vending cart from a designated location requires a public vending permit from the City of Atlanta. However, before you can apply for a permit, you must be awarded a designated vending cart location in an annual lottery held by the City of Atlanta. This annual lottery, normally held in March or April, includes all available designated vending cart locations.

Prospective vending entrepreneurs may enter the lottery, and if awarded a location, may then apply for a public vending permit, which authorizes them to operate a vending cart only from the location awarded to them in the lottery.

Once issued a public vending permit, you may renew the permit annually without needing to enter the lottery again. If you decide not to renew your permit for the location, it will be included in the lottery as an available location.

If you’re interested in being notified about how to participate in the next public vending cart lottery, please click here to submit a form to be added to our email notification list.

Are there restrictions on the type of items I can sell from my cart from these designated locations?

Yes. Each of the 29 designated vending cart locations is authorized for the sale of either food OR retail items. A few of the locations are authorized for the sale of food AND retail items.

Locations authorized for food sales means that prepared food, prepared non-alcoholic beverages (i.e. coffee, fresh lemonade, etc.), commercially pre-packaged food and non-alcoholic commercially pre-packaged beverages may be offered for sale. The sale of prepared food or prepared non-alcoholic beverages at these locations requires a mobile food unit permit from the Fulton County Board of Health.

Locations authorized for retail sales means that certain retail items may be offered for sale. These retail items include: tourist/traveler convenience items; third party published (non-adult) materials; commercially pre-packaged food; non-alcoholic commercially pre-packaged beverages; spirit merchandise; and cut single stem or bunched flowers.

The sale of commercially pre-packaged food and non-alcoholic commercially pre-packaged beverages at either food or retail locations may require a food license from the Georgia Department of Agriculture or a letter from the department stating that this license is not needed.

I have been awarded a designated vending cart location in the annual lottery. What are the steps I need to take now to be issued my public vending permit?

After being awarded a designated vending cart location in the City of Atlanta’s annual lottery, please complete the following steps, which are required to be issued your public vending permit to operate from the location you were awarded.

STEP 1: Submit City of Atlanta public vending cart permit application

Submit a public vending cart permit application via ATLCORE, the city’s business licensing and regulatory permitting online portal. The portal can be accessed by clicking here. A valid email address is required to register for an account with ATLCORE, submit a new or renewal application or check the status of an application. Instructions for registering and applying for an account can be found here.

In your application, you will need to provide:

Applicant’s name, address and email
Social Security number
Valid vending location awarded to you in the lottery
The times that you wish to vend from your location (public vending hours are 7:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., 7 days per week).

Georgia Department of Revenue Sales and Use Tax ID number. Visit the Georgia Department of Revenue’s website to learn more.
A copy of the applicant’s state issued picture ID
A description of the items permissible for sale to be sold or offered for sale at vending location
A valid mobile food unit permit from the Fulton County Board of Health if you’re selling prepared food or beverage items from a food cart location.

NOTE: The public vending permit application must be submitted via the ATLCORE online portal within 30 business days from the date that you are awarded a location in the lottery. Failure to submit the application within 30 business days will result in a forfeiture of your award of the location.

STEP 2: Submit cart specifications/site plan to Department of City Planning

Submit your cart specification and site plan to the Department of City Planning for review. Upon being awarded a cart location, you will be provided with information on how to submit these items.

Your cart specifications and site plan must meet the following City of Atlanta size requirements and standards:

Operating area cannot exceed 28 square feet of sidewalk, including the area of the vending cart, and, when externally located, the operator and trash receptacle
Length of the cart cannot exceed 7 feet

Width of the cart cannot exceed 4 feet
Height - excluding canopies, umbrellas, or transparent enclosures - cannot exceed 5 feet
Umbrellas or canopies shall have a minimum clearance of 7 feet and a maximum height of nine feet six inches (9’ 6’’) above the sidewalk
Umbrellas or canopies not to exceed forty-eight square feet (8 ft by 6 ft)
All carts must be mobile, and able to roll on wheels

Design, materials, and colors are to be of high quality (natural wood or metal products) and considerate of the immediate surroundings of the proposed location
Materials must be in a good state of repair (working order, no peeling paint, no visible defects or areas requiring maintenance)
Wheels located under the cart are preferred (such as casters), projecting wheels must have fenders
Hitches attached to cart must be removable and detached when in operation

NOTE: vendors selling prepared food or beverage items have additional cart requirements, which are addressed by the Fulton County Board of Health. Please consult them for details.

STEP 3: Submit required fees

Following the submission and review for completeness of your public vending permit application via ATLCORE and the submission and approval of your cart specifications and site plan to the Department of City Planning, the Office of Revenue will issue you an invoice for how to submit payment for the vending permit fees.

The annual permit application fee is $75.
The annual criminal background check fee is $50
The one-time fee for fingerprinting is $20

NOTE: All public vending permit fees – including background check and fingerprinting – are non-refundable.

STEP 4: Complete background check and fingerprinting at Atlanta Police Department License and Permit Unit

After you submit payment for all required fees, you must take the payment receipt to the Atlanta Police Department License and Permit Unit located at 3493 Donald Lee Hollowell Pkwy, NW, Atlanta, GA 30331 to complete your fingerprinting and background check requirements.

Upon background check clearance, you will be issued your public vending permit.

STEP 5: Apply for your general business license

Apply for your city of Atlanta general business license. You may apply for your business license via the ATLCORE online portal. More information on how to apply is available here.

NOTE: Your public vending permit is not valid unless accompanied by a City of Atlanta general business license.

I have an additional question about the city's public cart vending program. Who can I contact?

When and where are lotteries held?

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