NYC passes landmark street vendor reform, including expanding permit cap
Credit: Hiroko Nishimura on Unsplash
Legislation to reform New York City street vending officially passed this week, after the City Council overrode Mayor Eric Adams’ vetoes. One of the bills, Intro. 0431, sponsored by Council Member Pierina Ana Sanchez, makes an additional 2,200 supervisory license applications available annually from 2026 through 2031 and creates 10,500 new general vending licenses in 2027. The legislation package was part of 19 bills vetoed by former Mayor Eric Adams on his last day in office, despite Council approval in December. This week, the Council overrode 17 of the 19 vetoes.
“NYC is finally reforming its street vending system in a way that works for everyone,” Sanchez said. “By overriding the veto on Intro. 431-B, we are replacing decades of dysfunction with a system that is more just for vendors, more predictable and fair for brick-and-mortar businesses, and that delivers more orderly shared spaces for all New Yorkers.”
The bill addresses a longstanding issue in the city’s vendor licensing system. While NY is home to roughly 20,000 street vendors, there are currently only 6,880 food vendor permits and 853 general vendor licenses available, as 6sqft previously reported. It also builds on legislation passed in July that decriminalized most street vending violations in NYC.
Additionally, the waiting list for permits is more than 10,000 applicants long, with no new names accepted since 2016, according to the Street Vendor Project.
The legislation expands street vendor training and the number of enforcement agents assigned to inspect vendor setups, and raises civil penalties for certain siting violations. It allows licenses to be suspended or revoked after three violations of specific time, place, and manner restrictions within a one-year period.
Under the bill, vendors would be required to keep the area around their carts free of garbage and provide proof of proper trash disposal. The legislation also expands the Street Vendor Advisory Board and requires it to review the new rules and make related recommendations.
Pressure to pass the bill intensified following a crackdown on unlicensed vending under the former Adams administration. In 2024, the number of tickets issued to street vendors nearly doubled compared to the previous year, according to City Limits.
Because 96 percent of the city’s street vendors are immigrants, according to the Immigration Research Initiative, advocates say heightened enforcement and criminal penalties raise the risk of deportation amid the Trump administration’s attempts to clamp down on immigration.
In contrast to the previous administration’s crackdown, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has expressed support for the legislation. In a post on X, he said his administration would allow street vendors, “the heart of NYC,” to “operate with dignity.”
Intro. 0431 was one of 19 bills vetoed by Adams on his last day in office, several of which were overridden by the Council, including multiple measures affecting street vendors.
Intro. 1251, sponsored by Council Member Amanda Farías, authorizes the Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene and Consumer and Worker Protection to issue licenses until the expanded caps set by Intro. 0431 is reached.
Another measure, Intro. 0408, sponsored by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, establishes a Division of Street Vendor Assistance within the Department of Small Business Services to support vendors and connect aspiring street vendors with resources.
“Street vendors provide some of the most affordable options for New Yorkers facing an increasingly unaffordable city,” Williams said, “and by vetoing the street vendor reform package on his way out the door, the former mayor denied NYC’s smallest businesses the support they need to survive and thrive.”
“In speaking with vendors about the barriers they face, it’s clear we can do more, and an office dedicated to street vendor assistance—which my bill creates—will help these entrepreneurs navigate obstacles to licensing, inconsistency in enforcement, and regulations that make it near-impossible to operate in a successful and sustained way,” Williams added.
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