New York City to issue 21,500 street vendor permits

New York City plans to issue 21,500 legal permits to street vendors across its five boroughs, marking the first significant expansion of the licensing program in five decades. The City Council approved the measure to allow for new licenses for food and merchandise sales, overriding a previous veto by former Mayor Eric Adams.

This initiative aims to provide relief to a workforce that is approximately 96% immigrant, including many individuals from Mexico, Ecuador, Egypt, Senegal, and the Dominican Republic. A 2024 survey by the Immigration Research Initiative estimated that roughly 23,000 street vendors in the city currently operate without permits.

Historically, the city has maintained very low permit numbers, with only 853 general merchandise permits and over 5,000 food permits registered since 1979. The expansion is expected to reduce the reliance on the illegal rental of existing permits, which can cost up to $10,000 annually. Additionally, licensing violations have transitioned from criminal charges to civil fines.