Operating a Mobile Business on Council Land

The “road corridor” is the strip of public land that runs from one property boundary to the property boundary on the opposite side of the street. It includes everything that helps people move around - the road itself, the kerb and berm, and the footpath. Car parks are excluded within a reserve, park or other Council recreational space, such as Day's Bay, Eastbourne and the Esplanade, Petone.

You don’t need to apply to Council to trade within the road corridor but you must follow all guidelines.

Council reserves the right to hold discretion, and to relocate traders or to prohibit the trader from operating if the activity becomes inconsistent with these guidelines, Bylaws, or presents a health or safety risk, including behaviour of the trader.

Guidelines for trading on the road corridor

These guidelines outline where and how trading may occur safely when operating from the road corridor. They are designed to:

• Keep customers, pedestrians, motorists and vendors safe.
• Ensure compliance with the NZ Road Code and Hutt City Council requirements.
• Reduce disruption on busy traffic corridors.

1. Compliance with parking rules
   Traders must comply with all legal parking requirements, including:
   • Only parking in legal parking spaces, excluding car parks within a reserve, park or other Council recreational space, such as Day's Bay, Eastbourne and the Esplanade, Petone.
   • Not blocking, impeding or obstructing other vehicle or pedestrian accessways, driveways, shared paths or mobility. spaces, this includes no parking in slip lanes.
   • If paid or timed parking is required, Traders are responsible for all associated costs and rules.
   • No parking where the Road Code prohibits, including:
     • On or near broken yellow lines
     • On traffic islands, roundabouts, flush medians or centre islands
     • On footpaths or cycle lanes
     • Within 6 metres of an intersection (NZTA requirement)
     • Within 1 metre of a vehicle entrance/driveway
     • Within 6 metres of a pedestrian crossing
     • At bus stops or within marked bus stop zones.
   • Not parking on grass or berms as this is prohibited under the Road Code, in accordance with the Land Transport Rule 2004 – section 6.2.
2. Speed environment
   • Avoid operating on roads with a posted speed limit above 50 km/h, due to increased safety risk and reduced visibility for customers pulling in or out.
   • Higher-speed roads require longer sight distances and are unsuitable for trading activity.
3. Visibility and road safety Ensure the chosen location provides:
   • Adequate visibility for approaching motorists.
   • Railway level crossings.
   • No blind corners, crests, tight curves or locations with heavy turning traffic.
   • A safe place for customers to pull over.
   • Sufficient distance from:
     • Intersections
     • Pedestrian crossings
     • Cycle lanes
     • Bus stops
4. Footpaths, berms, and safe customer access
   • Ensure there is sufficient space on the footpath or grass berm for customers to safely queue without obstructing pedestrian movement.
   • Trading activities must not require customers to cross busy roads, especially in high-speed environments.
   • Vendors must only operate from the passenger side of the stationary vehicle wherever possible, ensuring customers stand on the footpath or berm side, away from moving traffic.
   • Avoid conducting sales from the rear of the vehicle, as this poses a risk to live traffic and reduces visibility.
   • Ensure safe operation without blocking the footpath, cycle lane or road corridor.
5. Consideration of surrounding environment
   Take extra care nearby:
   • Schools, particularly during pick-up/drop-off periods.
   • Public transport routes.
   • Areas with high pedestrian and vehicle activity.
6. Operational responsibilities
   Traders must ensure
   • Signage does not obstruct visibility for any road user.
   • The site is left clean and free from litter at the end of trading each day, rubbish is solely the responsibility of the Trader.
   • Vehicle or any other trader materials (including signs) must not remain overnight.
   • Noise levels are managed respectfully toward nearby residents and businesses.
   • Traders must operate in an appropriate and respectful manner.

If you're selling any food or drinks, you'll need a Hutt City Council registered food license and mobile stall registration.

Already have one? Great! You can skip to Step 2.

Please note that having a food licence doesn’t automatically allow you to operate anywhere — you still need reserve land-use permission (see Step 2).

What you need to do:

1. Check your setup
   Make sure your mobile unit meets food safety rules (this includes how it’s built to how food is stored and prepared).
   See food safety rules here.
2. Talk to our Environmental Health team
   They’ll explain what you need under the Food Act and help you apply for a Food Control Plan (FCP) or National Programme. You can contact them at environmental.health@huttcity.govt.nz
3. Plan for waste and water
   Ensure you dispose of food waste safely, check if you need a grease trap. Council will not provide any additional services such as power or water. You must provide your own rubbish management.
4. Have a clean water supply and proper hygiene facilities.
5. Make sure you have registered for a mobile stall here: Register a Food Stall - Registering a food business

Commercial Licences (over reserve land) are currently issued for up to six months at a time. Trading may occur for a maximum of four times a week. Sites are non-exclusive, meaning we don't designate certain spots around a site, and may be shared with the public and other traders. The Commercial Trading over Reserve Land Licence provides for legal permission to trade in a specific reserve but does not guarantee a certain spot within a site.

Upon the end of your trading licence, you must cease trading and apply for a new licence. Approval is not guaranteed.

Application fees are $150.00 including GST. Daily trading rates will be based on operational activity, trading days/hours and location.

What you need to do:

1. Know the rules
   Your business must follow all council policies, bylaws, and reserve management plans, including
   • Hutt City Council Public Places Bylaw 2016
   • Hutt City Council Traffic Bylaw 2017 - for operating on the road corridor
   • Hutt City Council Trading in Public Places Bylaw 2018
   • Operational District Plan
2. Choose a location
   Pick a site from the approved list below.
3. Complete the commercial trading over reserve land application form
   Apply online
   You’ll need to include:
   • How long you wish to trade for (up to 6 months) and the days and hours you wish to trade.
   • Map location specifics of where you wish to trade
   • Business and contact details
   • Waste and water management details
   • Health and Safety plan
   • Existing Insurance plan
   • Food Registration Certificate (if applicable)
   • Menu and operating hours and staffing numbers (if applicable)
   • Photos and measurements of your setup
   • Any other supporting documents
4. Wait for approval
   We'll endeavour to process applications within 21 business days.
5. We’ll contact you if we need more details. If the application is approved, we’ll send a draft commercial licence and request payment.
6. If you don’t respond within 10 business days, your application may be cancelled.

For any questions, please contact parks_leases@huttcity.govt.nz