New Regulations to Help Sidewalk Vendors

The California State Legislature has determined that sidewalk vending provides important economic opportunities for immigrants and low-income entrepreneurs, but complex regulations and costly penalties made it extremely difficult to operate legally. SB 946 and SB 972 were passed in California to make sidewalk vending more feasible and protect this vital microbusiness sector. The laws standardized regulations statewide, reduced fines, and required cities to make permits accessible and affordable. This supports business growth and prevents harassment of vulnerable vendors over permits and fines they can't afford. Overall, the new vending laws recognize sidewalk vending as a legitimate means of earning a living and create a regulatory framework focused on public safety rather than over-penalization.

Cities and counties throughout California remind and urge the public to buy from authorized vendors who have demonstrated that they will follow health and safety guidelines as well as maintain public safety by obtaining the proper permits and inspections. This information is provided to help individuals understand the law as well as assist them to obtain the proper permits. This information also aims to educate the public why municipal and health officials urge sidewalk vendors to get the proper permits. Below a link is provided to help you find your county's permitting requirements in order to become a legal sidewalk vendor and operate as intended by the law.

Street Vendor Requirements

Find Your County Health Department

SB946 - Sidewalk Vendors

In California, a law was passed in 2018 to help street vendors who sell food and goods on sidewalks. Before the law, many cities made it illegal to sell on sidewalks or made vendors get permits. The new law SB 946 says cities can't ban sidewalk selling completely. Cities can make some rules about when and where people can sell on sidewalks, but only for safety and health reasons. The law helps street vendors earn money legally without worrying about getting in trouble. It makes it easier for people to start small businesses selling food or goods on sidewalks.

To read the law: Click Here

SB972 - Retail Food Code

IIn California, a 2022 law called SB 972 changed the rules for street food vendors. Before the law, street vendors had to follow all the same health codes as restaurants. This made it really hard to sell safe street food. The new law says cities can make some health rules for street vendors, but they have to be fair. Cities can't require street vendors to have a sink or bathroom on their carts. The law helps street food vendors by making the health codes fit their needs. It lets cities make rules to keep street food safe without being too hard on small businesses.

To read the law: Click Here

Why Cities and Counties Care

While SB 946 and SB 972 aimed to support small businesses, lack of local vending oversight outside these laws can lead to public health and safety issues. Without permit enforcement, cities have no way to ensure vendors are following health codes to safely prepare food and prevent illness. Unregulated vending also makes it difficult to control the numbers of vendors clustered together, which can draw dense crowds and make sidewalks unsafe and inaccessible. Cities lose oversight on proper trash disposal which can lead to food waste and rodents in public areas. And without vending regulations, there is no recourse for removing vendors who locate themselves in areas like emergency access routes. Some regulation allows cities to mitigate these health and safety risks. While some requirements may seem a bit much the law has eliminated various requirements so that an applicant has an easier path towards becoming a compliant business owner. Below are some concerns and information on why jurisdictions encourage you to purchase food and goods by legal sidewalk vendors, these topics include but not limited to the following:

Hidden Side of Street Vending

Despite what some advocates claim, many individuals working in sidewalk vending are not owners of these operations. Many may work for bigger sidewalk vending operations that purposely avoid identifying their employees. While there are legitimate operations that purposefully avoid obtaining permits to avoid paying their employees fair wages or benefits, there are those who are part of organized criminal organizations who deal in human trafficking to save money by not paying fair wages to the workers. Traffickers can force people to work long hours for little or no pay, use threats, violence, or lies to control the workers. This makes it hard for the workers to escape and seek help. Street vending can be profitable, and traffickers want to make money at the expense of the workers' rights and well-being.

Human trafficking is like modern-day slavery, where people are forced to work against their will. Sometimes, this happens in street vending. Bad people do this to make more money and control others. They make workers live in bad places, keep them scared, and don't pay them fairly. We can help by looking for signs like people who seem afraid or underage individuals working without supervision, working during school hours, or working late hours of the night.

Workers might seem afraid or unable to speak freely. They may not have identification documents or personal belongings with them. They may also be kept away from others or not allowed to interact with customers or fellow workers freely. One thing to look for physical signs of abuse, like bruises, or if they seem frightened when talking about their situation.

If you see any of these signs, please don't try to rescue them yourself; it can be dangerous. Instead, please call the police or report it to the proper authorities. We encourage you to be vigilant and avoid unpermitted operations.

If you are a victim of human trafficking, know of somebody who may be a victim of human trafficking, or have information about a potential trafficking situation, please call:

National Human Trafficking Hotline

Call: (888) 373-7888T

ext: 233-733 (Be Free)

If in Immediate DangerCall: 9-1-1

Additional Information