Market Policies

The following information is about Portland Farmers Market’s policies regarding various third parties at the market:

Music Buskers

  • Busking is permitted at PSU Farmers Market on a case-by-case basis.
  • Buskers must check in at the market information booth before performing to assign them an area, if available. 
  • After one hour, they are asked to move to a new location. 
  • For more information, please read our 2024 Busker Agreement.

Peddlers

Peddlers selling art, food, and merchandise cannot set up within the farmers market or ten feet of its perimeter.

Community Booths

PFM proudly offers booth space at our three neighborhood markets (King, Kenton and Lents International Farmers Markets) to non-profit or community-serving groups and organizations to engage with shoppers and provide information about their work to improve the community. 

Read more about our Community Booth offering here.

Pets

At PFM’s two busy downtown markets (PSU and Shemanski Park Farmers Markets), we ask that pet owners keep their pets away from market vendors and shopper walkways.

Pet owners must abide by the following rules to make their pet’s visit to the market a positive experience for everyone:

  • Pets must be kept on a short leash.
  • Pets must always be controlled and by the owner’s side at all times.
  • Keep pets away from produce, plants, and other food products.
  • Pets must be friendly with other animals and children to earn the right to be at the market.
  • Be considerate—not everyone loves pets, and some shoppers are allergic to animals.
  • Owners must clean up after their pets!

PFM management reserves the right to request owners remove pets from the market.

Gleaners

PFM works with local social service agencies to establish the gleaning of food contributions at the end of each market day. These agencies are an excellent resource for distributing your unsold product to the local community in need. 

  • Many of our farm vendors donate to Urban Gleaners. They distribute unsold produce and other food products to the local community through emergency food relief agencies and food-to-school programs. 
    • Donation receipts are available directly from gleaners on request. Gleaners generally arrive at the market during the last hour and check in with vendors to find out if there are any donations for the day. 
    • If you have produce and/or products to donate, call 503-226-8061 to schedule a pickup at the end of a market.

Signature Gatherers

PFM sites that operate as a licensee of the City of Portland recognize the injunction entered by the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon in the case of Gathright vs. the City of Portland that limits PFM’s authority to control the activities of members of the public attending the market. The text of this decision is available for review at the PFM information booth.

Sponsors

To keep vendors’ fees as low as possible, PFM solicits sponsors for its five farmers markets, events and programming. Prospective sponsors are evaluated individually to ensure there is no direct conflict with the PFM mission.