Legal Requirements for Setting Up a Mobile Wet Fish Van

by Caroline Hooper
(United Kingdom)

Mobile Wet Fish Van - Legal Requirements

Mobile Wet Fish Van - Legal Requirements

I am the secretary of the National Federation of Fishmongers and have a member who is looking to set up a mobile wet fish van.
He lives in Somerset and has been in contact with his local environmental health officer who will advise him regarding those matters.
He is looking to trade from pub car parks, please advise if the car park is council owned will he need planning permission from them ?
If not, if he obtains the land owners permission, will they need to apply for planning permission ?

He is also looking at door - to - door trading what legal requirements does he need for this?

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Mar 26, 2026
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by: MobCater

Hiya Caroline, great question — and good to hear your member is already in touch with his local EHO. That is exactly the right first step.

Let me break this down for the different trading scenarios.

Trading from pub car parks

If the car park is council owned, he would not need planning permission just to trade from it, but he would likely need a street trading licence or consent from the council. Each council handles this differently so it is worth checking directly with them.

If the car park is privately owned (which most pub car parks are), he just needs written permission from the landowner — in this case the pub owner or the brewery. No street trading licence needed for private land. The landowner does not need to apply for planning permission either, as long as it is not a permanent fixture. A van that comes and goes is generally fine.

One thing to watch — some pub car parks are leased from the council or a brewery, so the pub landlord might not have the authority to give permission on their own. Always worth asking who actually owns the land.

Door-to-door trading

This is a different set of rules. For door-to-door fish sales he will need a pedlars certificate from the local police. It costs around £12 and is valid for one year. The key rule with a pedlars certificate is that you must keep moving — you cannot set up in one spot and trade. You go door to door, make a sale, move on.

If he wants to stop in one place (like parking up on a residential street and waiting for people to come to him), that counts as street trading and he would need a street trading licence instead.

Some councils have specific rules about mobile fish vans doing rounds, so it is worth checking locally. A few areas have banned or restricted it.

Other bits to sort

On top of the above, he will also want to make sure he has got food business registration (free, 28 days before trading), a Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate, and public liability insurance. For wet fish specifically, temperature control is really important — the EHO will want to see that he is keeping fish at the right temperature throughout the day. A good digital probe thermometer and proper chilled storage on the van are essential.

This is general guidance for UK mobile food trading. Rules can vary between councils, so always check with your local authority for the specifics.

Try the free MobCater App — our startup checklist and guide walks you through every step: https://www.mobcater.co.uk/mobile-catering.html

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