Do I Need a Licence to Sell Coffee in the Street?

by andy Marshall
(glasgow scotland)

Selling Coffee in the Street - What You Need

Andy asked: "To sell coffee or tea from a backpack, do I need any food or hygiene qualifications other than applying for a street traders licence? I am looking at starting this up in Scotland."

Hiya Andy, short answer — yes, you do need a licence to sell coffee (or anything) on a public street.

It's called a Street Trading Licence or Street Trading Consent, and you get it from the council where you want to trade.

How it works

Every council in the UK puts their streets into one of three categories:

- Licence streets — you can trade here but you need a licence
- Consent streets — you can trade here but you need consent (slightly easier to get)
- Prohibited streets — no street trading allowed at all

So the first thing to do is check with your local council which streets allow trading. In Scotland the rules are very similar to the rest of the UK — your local council in Glasgow will be able to tell you exactly what you need.

What it costs

This varies a lot. Some councils charge £100-£200 a year for a street trading licence. Others charge more, especially in busy town centres or cities. A few councils also charge per day if you only want to trade occasionally.

What else you need

On top of the street trading licence, you will also want:

- Food Business Registration — free, do it online at least 28 days before you start
- Level 2 Food Hygiene Certificate — about £20 online, takes a couple of hours
- Public Liability Insurance — most councils require this before they will give you a licence

You mentioned selling from a backpack — that is a great low-cost way to start. The same rules apply whether you are using a van, a cart, or a backpack. You still need the street trading licence and food hygiene sorted.

A quicker option

If getting a street trading licence feels like a lot of hassle, look into trading from private land instead — like a car park, an office estate, or outside a shop (with the owner's permission). You won't need a street trading licence for private land, though you will still need the food hygiene and registration sorted.

Disclaimer: This is general advice for UK mobile catering. Street trading rules vary between councils, so always check locally.

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