# Farmers Market Vendor Application Template

Use this as a build sheet for Google Forms, Microsoft Forms, Jotform, or your market-management system. Delete questions your market does not need. Add local requirements only after confirming them with the responsible agency, property owner, insurer, or attorney.

Do not collect Social Security numbers, complete bank-account details, or payment-card numbers in a general application form.

## Form introduction

Thank you for your interest in [MARKET NAME]. Submitting this application does not guarantee acceptance or a booth assignment. We review applications based on product fit, category needs, completeness, market rules, and available space.

- Application deadline: [DATE]
- Decision date or review window: [DATE OR RANGE]
- Application fee: [AMOUNT OR NONE]
- Contact for application questions: [NAME, EMAIL, PHONE]
- Link to market rules: [URL]
- Privacy and record-retention notice: [URL OR SHORT EXPLANATION]

## 1. Business and contact information

1. Legal business name [required]
2. Public or booth name, if different [required]
3. Primary contact name and role [required]
4. Email address [required]
5. Mobile phone [required]
6. Mailing address [required]
7. Business website [optional]
8. Instagram, Facebook, or other public profile [optional]
9. Preferred contact method [email / text / phone]
10. Emergency contact name and phone [required after approval, optional at initial application]
11. Vendor category requested [market-defined choices]
12. Is this a new application or a renewal? [new / renewal]

## 2. Products and production

1. Describe every product you want to sell at the market. [required, long answer]
2. Which products do you grow, raise, make, bake, cook, or assemble yourself? [required]
3. Where are the products produced? [required]
4. Will you sell any products made or grown by another business? If yes, identify the business and explain the arrangement. [required]
5. List primary ingredients or materials when relevant. [conditional]
6. Describe production methods, sourcing, or certifications you want the review team to consider. [optional]
7. Upload current product and booth-display photos. [required]
8. List the price range customers should expect. [optional]
9. Identify any direct product conflicts the market should understand. [optional]
10. What makes this product a good fit for this market and its shoppers? [required]

## 3. Requested dates and space

1. Select requested market dates or season. [required]
2. Can you commit to the market's minimum attendance requirement? [required]
3. Booth footprint requested [10x10 / 10x20 / vehicle / trailer / custom]
4. Vehicle make, model, and total operating length if it remains in the selling space. [conditional]
5. Electrical needs, including voltage, amperage, and every appliance. [conditional]
6. Water or wastewater needs. [conditional]
7. Propane, flame, heat, generator, or cooking equipment. [conditional]
8. Accessibility accommodations needed by the vendor team. [optional]
9. Placement considerations. State clearly that requests are not guaranteed. [optional]
10. Number of staff normally present. [required]

## 4. Licenses, insurance, permits, and certifications

Create conditional questions by vendor type. Do not require an artisan to upload a food permit or a produce farmer to answer hot-food equipment questions.

For each required document collect:

1. Document type
2. Issuing agency or insurer
3. Name on the document
4. Document or policy number, if appropriate
5. Effective date
6. Expiration date
7. File upload
8. Any required endorsement or additional-insured confirmation

Possible document categories, depending on local rules and vendor activity:

- Certificate of insurance
- Business license
- Health permit
- Temporary food facility permit
- Cottage-food registration or permit
- Certified-producer certificate
- Organic or other production certification
- Seller's permit or tax registration
- Fire or propane approval
- Vehicle or commissary documentation

## 5. Fees and payment acknowledgment

1. I have reviewed the current fee schedule. [required checkbox]
2. I understand when application, booth, membership, utility, sales-based, late, cancellation, and no-show fees may apply. [required checkbox]
3. I understand whether the application fee is refundable. [required checkbox]
4. If the market uses percentage-of-sales fees, I agree to the reporting deadline, calculation method, and audit terms in the market rules. [conditional]
5. I understand that payment does not override market rules or guarantee a particular booth. [required checkbox]

Never collect raw card or bank-account numbers in this form. Send approved vendors to a PCI-compliant payment provider or the market's secure portal.

## 6. Rules, consent, and signature

1. I have read and agree to the market rules dated [VERSION DATE]. [required]
2. I certify that the information in this application is accurate and complete. [required]
3. I will notify the market if my products, ownership, documents, equipment, or contact details change. [required]
4. I understand that approval may be conditional and may be withdrawn for rule, safety, payment, or attendance violations. [required]
5. Communication consent for operational email and text messages. [required with appropriate consent language]
6. Photo or promotional permission. [optional and separate from required terms]
7. Electronic signature: full name, title, and date. [required]

## Internal review rubric

Keep this out of the applicant-facing form unless your market intentionally publishes its scoring process.

Score each category consistently, for example 0–5:

- Application completeness
- Product fit with market mission
- Category need and duplication
- Producer or maker alignment with market rules
- Product quality and presentation
- Required-document readiness
- Space, equipment, and safety readiness
- Attendance reliability or renewal history
- Overall recommendation

Record the reviewer, review date, score notes, decision reason, conditions, and appeal outcome. Avoid protected characteristics and subjective comments unrelated to the published selection criteria.

## Decision messages

Prepare four templates before applications open:

1. Needs information: exact missing items and deadline
2. Approved: conditions, dates, fee, documents, and next action
3. Waitlisted: category or space reason, expected review timing, and whether anything else is needed
4. Declined: concise decision tied to published criteria and any available appeal process

## After submission

Move every submission through one lifecycle:

Submitted -> Needs information -> Ready for review -> On hold / Waitlisted / Approved / Declined -> Paid -> Scheduled -> Archived

Do not rebuild the same vendor by hand in separate document, payment, attendance, and booth spreadsheets. If the volume makes that unavoidable, it is time to move the workflow into a market-management system.

Source: VIBEPro, https://www.vibepro.io/farmers-market-vendor-application-template/