How to choose a vending company for your business: a host’s scorecard
A vending company makes its promises out loud; this scorecard shows which ones to get on paper and which answers should end the meeting.
Rules & Contracts
Vending rules and contracts for business owners
Vending contracts and the rules that land on your business as the host: the questions to ask a vending company, the agreement and how to cancel it, power and electrical requirements, ADA reach ranges, space, liability and tax. Each guide cites the code or statute and says when to call a professional.
Start here: the Rules & Contracts guide
All Rules & Contracts guides
Choosing and contracting
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Vending service agreement: the 9 clauses to check before you sign
Vending companies bring paperwork written for their side of the deal, so here is how to read it from yours, one clause at a time.
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Vending company not restocking? Service standards to demand and enforce
An empty machine pays your business nothing and annoys your customers, and the fix is a service standard written in numbers, backed by a paper trail.
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How to remove a vending machine from your business, step by step
When a vending company stops showing up, the way out runs through your agreement’s notice clause, a paper trail and one dated letter.
Your building
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Vending machine electrical requirements: outlet, circuit and GFCI rules
Most vending machines plug into an ordinary outlet, but the code’s ground-fault rule, the maker’s instructions and a few heavy machines can still send you to an electrician.
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How much electricity does a vending machine use? Costs by type and state
Your vending company owns the machine, but your meter runs it, so here is what each machine type adds to the electric bill, state by state.
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Vending machine dimensions: cabinet sizes and the floor space you give up
The spec sheet lists the cabinet, but your floor plan has to hold the cabinet, the air gap behind it, the customer in front and the swinging door.
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Vending machine ADA requirements: reach, floor space and who is responsible
A machine sold as ADA compliant can still fail in your building, because the floor space, the walkway and the base it stands on are yours to control.
Risk and tax
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Vending machine liability: who pays when a machine injures someone?
A vending machine is the operator’s equipment on your premises, so an injury claim can name both businesses, and the paperwork signed before install decides who pays.
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Is vending machine commission taxable? What hosts report for 2026
The 1099 is the operator’s paperwork, not your tax bill, and the 2026 threshold change alters which hosts get one without changing what they owe.
