NYC to add thousands of street vendor licenses, expand regulation

This vendor was selling churros on the Brooklyn Bridge walkway this past weekend. Photo: Mary Frost/Brooklyn Eagle

CITYWIDE — CITY COUNCIL OVERRODE vetoes from former Mayor Eric Adams on Jan. 31, clearing a street-vending package that expands licenses and tightens training and cleanliness rules after decades of capped permits, according to Gothamist.

Under the new laws, the city will open 2,200 additional supervisory license applications each year for mobile food vendors through 2031 and issue 10,500 new general vending licenses in 2027, aiming to shrink waitlists and move more vendors into compliance.

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who sponsored one of the bills, put the street-vendor workforce at 20,000-plus citywide. “Street vendors provide some of the most affordable options for New Yorkers facing an increasingly unaffordable city,” he said.

The phased rollout now shifts to agency implementation, including expanded training and inspections.

Adams vetoed the bills on his last day in office, arguing that more street vendors would worsen sidewalk congestion. Around 70% of street vendors currently operate without a license.

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