(a) Any town may make reasonable ordinances with reference to the vending or hawking upon its public streets or upon any state highway, except limited access highways, within such town or any land abutting such streets or highways of any goods, wares or other merchandise at public or private sale or auction, or to the vending or peddling of such articles from house to house within its limits, including the imposition of a fee, not exceeding two hundred dollars a year, applicable with respect to any person engaged in such vending, hawking or peddling, for the privilege of so vending, hawking or peddling such merchandise. Any ordinance adopted pursuant to this section which requires a permit may require that no such permit shall be issued to any person who has not obtained a permit to engage in or transact business as a seller within the state in accordance with § 12-409 and shall require that any permit issued pursuant to such ordinance shall be conspicuously displayed at the place the activities are undertaken. Such ordinances may provide that the authority issuing such permit may waive the permit fee for a nonprofit organization exempt from federal taxation by Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States, as from time to time amended, or a charitable organization. No town shall require a permit fee from any resident of this state who has resided within the state for a period of two years next preceding the date of application for such permit, who is (1) a veteran who served in time of war, as defined in § 27-103, (2) a hawker or peddler, and (3) a principal pursuant to § 21-36.

(b) On and after July 15, 2021, any town that requires a person seeking to operate a frozen dessert truck within the limits of such municipality to obtain a permit pursuant to subsection (a) of this section shall include the link to the Internet web site published by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles pursuant to § 14-283h on (1) the application for such permit, and (2) the Internet web site of the municipality. For the purposes of this subsection, “frozen dessert truck” has the same meaning as provided in § 14-283c.

(c) This section shall not apply to sales by farmers and gardeners of the produce of their farms, gardens and greenhouses, including fruit, vegetables and flowers, or to the sale, distribution and delivery of milk, teas, coffees, spices, groceries, meats and bakery goods, to sales on approval, to conditional sales of merchandise, or to the taking of orders for merchandise for future delivery when full payment is not required at the time of solicitation. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit in any manner the Commissioner of Transportation’s statutory authority concerning state highways. Nothing in this section shall be construed as empowering any municipality to prohibit, regulate, control or impose a fee on any person operating any business on any state highway or land abutting any state highway pursuant to a contract with the state.