Street trading licences

EUGO portal logo Anyone selling or offering a service in a street or public place must have a licence.

Types

There are three types of street trading licence: You don't need a licence to sell newspapers or magazines from a holder carried by the seller. Milk men, bread men, coal men and delivery men are also exempt.

Stationary licence to trade from a designated permanent pitch

We only grant licences for areas which we've approved for stationary street trading.

Designating new trading areas is an open process and we publish statutory 28 day notices, explaining our proposals, in local newspapers to make sure the public and other organisations are consulted.

Mobile trading licence

All mobile traders, including ice-cream vans and mobile shops, must have a mobile trading licence which allows them to work within specific areas of Belfast.

If you're applying for a mobile trading licence you must tell us the route that you propose to trade from in your application form. You must also give details of the days and times you intend to trade.

Temporary licence for events

Even if you only want to sell at a one-off event, you'll need a temporary licence.

You should apply well in advance of your event as we assess all applications separately and liaise with the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Roads Service to decide if your proposal will cause any inconvenience to the public.

Temporary licences for events are only valid for up to seven days. We can only grant traders five temporary licences per year.

If you're applying for a temporary licence, you'll need a map showing the exact location of your planned site. This should be included with your application form.

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Apply for a street trading licence

You can use our online payment system to apply for a street trading licence.

Apply for a street trading licence


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Before you apply, please read the terms and conditions for online services as well as our privacy statement for online services

We accept the following credit or debit cards: If you have any questions about your application, email buildingcontrol@belfastcity.gov.uk or call us on +44 28 9027 0650.

 You can also apply for a street trading licence by downloading the application form below and returning it by post, along with the relevant documents and fees, to:

Head of Building Control Service
Health and Environmental Services Department
5th Floor
9 Lanyon Place
Belfast
BT1 3LP

You must also include a range of other documents to help us process your application.

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Fees

The following fees are valid from 1 October 2002. Please note that licensing fees should only be paid once a decision has been made to grant or renew your mobile or stationary street trading licence.


Fees for mobile and stationary street trading licences
Type Application fee (non-refundable) Nature of licence Licence fee per year Licence fee per year
(discount rate)*		 Licence fee per month Licence fee per month
(discount rate)*
Mobile
£120
Monday to Friday
£429
£407.55
£53.75
£39.96
Saturday
£199
£189.05
£16.58
£15.75
Sunday
£254
£241.30
£21.17
£20.11
Monday to Saturday
£628
£596.60
£52.33
£49.71
Monday to Sunday
£882
£837.90
£73.50
£69.83
Stationary
£100
Monday to Friday
£629
£597.55
£52.41
£49.79
Saturday
£426
£404.70
£35.50
£33.73
Sunday
£472
£448.40
£39.33
£37.36
Monday to Saturday
£800
£760
£66.66
£63.33
Monday to Sunday
£1017
£966.15
£84.75
£80.51


* A five per cent discount is available if you want to pay the total fee in full, or monthly, via standing order through your bank or building society.

You can also pay monthly in person at our offices, located on 5th Floor, 9 Lanyon Place, Belfast, BT1 3LP, or via cheque or postal order. However, the full cost applies. If paying this way, the first monthly payment must be made by cheque or postal order before your licence is issued. All cheques and postal orders should be payable to Belfast City Council.


Fees for temporary street trading licences
Type Application fee (non-refundable) Nature of licence Licence fee per day
Temporary
£120
Monday to Friday
£26
Saturday
£36
Sunday or public holiday
£45


Fees for variations of a street trading licence
Type Fee
Variation of licensing particulars
£50


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Location of areas approved for stationary street trading

Stationary licence holders can only trade on designated sites. This document shows the number and location of all designated pitches in Belfast. It also outlines the items which can be sold on each pitch and whether the pitch is currently available.

If you're interested in applying for a stationary licence, you should check this information first to make sure your planned location is a designated pitch and is available.

Policies

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Illegal trading

Under the Street Trading Act, our officers can seize any property, goods, holders, equipment, stalls or vehicles if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that someone is trading illegally.

Illegal traders can be fined up to £1,000 and we can have the seized goods destroyed.

Since 2001, we have seized more than £1.5 million worth of stalls, goods and vehicles.

Sunday trading

Shops with a floor space of more than 280 square metres can sell goods from 1pm to 6pm on Sundays. They must close on Easter Sunday and Christmas Day, if it falls on a Sunday.

This order does not apply to some larger stores, including:

More information

For more information about street trading licences, call us on 028 9027 0650 or email buildingcontrol@belfastcity.gov.uk

You can also write to us at:

Regulatory Services
Building Control
Floor 5
9 Lanyon Place
Belfast
BT1 3LP

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