Mobile food vendors must obtain a business license. Applications can be printed from the City website or can be obtained at the Land and Development Services office located at the Whitehorse Operations Building at 187 Range Road.

Vendor sites

To encourage and promote mobile food vending Downtown, the City has designated sites based on their high profile locations and suitability for food vending. Sites are allocated to vendors on an annual basis. Vendors are not permitted to operate on public property other than a site that has been allocated to them.

The sites are distributed via a lottery process held in the spring of each year. Sites not allocated during the lottery process are available over the counter on a first come, first serve basis.

Applications

Application packages for the spring lottery can be obtained by registering through Bonfire on the City’s website.

Applicants should review the Terms of Reference and conduct visits to the sites they are interested in. Vendors must submit a business plan with their application describing their vending apparatus, menu, operations plan, and financial goals.

Site regulations

Specific rules are in place regarding start and end dates, frequency of operation, hours of operation, use of electricity (if available), etc. These rules vary by site and are reviewed annually – up-to-date rules are in the application package.

Required permits

In addition to a business licence, mobile food vendors operating on public property must obtain a development permit for temporary use. The applicant is required to submit proof of insurance in accordance with City policy.

Vendors not wishing to participate in the allocation process for sites on public property may operate on private property with the consent of the property owner, and with all other applicable approvals, permits, and licences.

Vending on private property is limited to zones in which “eating and drinking establishment” is a permitted use under the City’s Zoning Bylaw (2025-37).

Required permits

Mobile food vendors operating on private property must obtain a business licence and a development permit. The application for a permit must include written permission from the property owner to operate on the site.

Fees charged by the City are set out in the Fees and Charges By-law. Current fees are as follow:

• Business licence (6 months) – $110
• Development permit – $350

There is no fee to enter the lottery for sites on public property.

All mobile food vendors

• Register your trade name with the Government of Yukon Corporate Affairs
  (if you are naming the business anything other than your name)
• Receive approval from Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board
  (if you have employees)
• Obtain approval from Environmental Health Services
• Obtain a business licence

Vendors on public property

• Obtain a Development permit for commercial – temporary; application to include the following:
  • Completed application form
  • Permit fee
  • Proof of liability insurance in accordance with the City’s Lease, Encroachment and Property Use Policy (section 4)
  • Proof of third party permitting or licensing, if applicable

Vendors on private property

• Development permit
• Written permission from property owner to operate on the site

• Business licence application
• Development permit application information
• Lease, Encroachment and Property Use Policy
• Government of Yukon Corporate Affairs
• Government of Yukon Environmental Health Services
• Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board

All mobile food vendors must have:

– A Business License
For more information, please go to the Business License page.

– A certificate of trade name from Yukon Government Corporate Affairs (if you are naming the business anything other than your name)

• Apply to reserve your business name and pay $60 or complete the name reservation on the Yukon Corporate Online Registry and pay $40 by credit card
• Declare your business name and pay $25

– Approval from Yukon Workers’ Safety & Compensation Board (if you have employees or if the business is incorporated

• Register your business and pay a security deposit (if you are a new employer)

– Approval from Enviornmental Health Services

• Apply for a permit to operate a food premises (if you are operating a food business, either in a building or as a food truck)

To become a vendor on public property, you must:

– Register on Bonfire to access the City’s Procurement Portal

– Download he Request for Application (RFA) for Mobile Food Vendors

– Submit the Mobile Food Vendor Application Form through Bonfire to participate in the lottery and allocation process

– Obtain a Development Permit (if you have been successful in the lottery and have an allocated spot); applications to include the following:

• Development Permit Application Form 1A and Form 6B
• Permit fee of $350
• Letter of intent that includes the hours and days of operation
• Photograph of the vending unit
• Sketch plan showing the location and dimension of proposed permit area, passageway, permanent City fixtures and proposed amenities or accessories
• Signed RFA package (each page initialed and signed at the end)
• Proof of valid business license
• Proof of minimum $5 million general liability insurance with City of Whitehorse named as additional insured in accordance with the City’s Lease, Encroachment and Property Use Policy (Section 4)
• Proof of third party permitting or licensing, if applicable

– Enter into a Use Agreement with Yukon Government (if you are allocated one of the Waterfront Wharf sites)

– Comply with the Instruction to Applicants, Application Award Procedure and Schedule, and General Food Vendor Rules

To become a vendor on private property, you must:

– Obtain a Development Permit (if you are to operate on private property whose zone permits the use of “eating and drinking establishment”): applications to include the following:

• Development Permit Application Form and permit fee of $350
• Letter of intent that includes the hours and days of operation
• Photograph of the vending unit
• Sketch plan showing the location and dimension of proposed permit area, passageway, permanent City fixtures and proposed amenities or accessories
• Proof of a valid business license
• Proof of general liability insurance

– Provide written permission from the property owner to operate at the site