Overview
- The three-bill package (Intros 431-B, 408 and 1251) authorizes roughly 10,500–10,700 new general vending licenses in 2027 and makes 2,200 supervisory food-vendor applications available annually through 2031.
- A new Division of Street Vendor Assistance within the Department of Small Business Services will help vendors navigate licensing, training requirements and compliance.
- The laws increase training and inspections, require vendors to manage trash, raise civil penalties for siting violations, and allow suspensions or revocations after three violations within a year.
- Actual license issuance depends on the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, so totals could fall short of the authorized caps given past delays.
- Advocates cite about 20,000 vendors citywide, just 6,880 food permits and 853 general licenses, and a waitlist of more than 10,000 applicants.