Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday vetoed a City Council bill that would decriminalize most street vending violations in New York City. In an exclusive New York Post article, the mayor announced his veto of Intro. 47-B, a bill sponsored by Queens Council Member Shekar Krishnan that would reduce misdemeanor penalties for general and food vendors to civil offenses and better protect vendors—many of whom are immigrants—amid the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdowns. Adams said the bill “sends the wrong message” as the city steps up enforcement: in 2024, the NYPD issued more than 9,300 tickets to vendors—more than double the total in 2023, according to City Limits.
The City Council passed the bill in June with a veto-proof majority, voting 40-8 with three abstentions. Initially, Adams had not indicated whether he would sign or veto the legislation.
Currently, street vendors in NYC can face misdemeanor charges, fines of up to $500, and up to 30 days in jail for violating vending laws. Offenses include operating too far from the curb or using cardboard boxes to display merchandise, according to Gothamist. Under the bill, these time, place, and manner violations would instead carry civil penalties of up to $250.
Vendors operating without a license or permit currently face misdemeanor charges, with criminal fines ranging from $150 to $1,000 and up to three months in jail. Intro. 47-B downgrades these offenses to violations—non-criminal offenses—with fines up to $1,000.
The Adams administration has taken a tougher stance on unlicensed vending. In November 2023, the city reopened a scaled-down version of the Corona Plaza market in Queens after shutting it down the previous summer. And in January 2024, officials banned vendors from all 789 city bridges, as 6sqft previously reported.
Adams told the Post that his veto aims to address “quality-of-life” concerns and protect small-business owners from unlicensed vendors.
“Since day one, our administration has been committed not just to making New Yorkers safe, but to making them feel safe, too—and that includes addressing persistent quality-of-life issues like illegal street vending,” Adams said. “Our law enforcement officers play a vital role in keeping our streets clear of unlicensed vendors and protecting small business owners who follow the rules from being undercut by those who don’t.”
He continued: “We cannot be so idealistic that we’re not realistic—preventing the brave men and women of the NYPD from intervening, even in the most egregious cases, is unfair to law-abiding business owners and poses real public health and safety risks.”
However, council members say the bill is based on recommendations from a street vendor advisory task force established in 2021, which advised eliminating misdemeanor criminal charges in favor of civil fines and penalties for unlicensed food and merchandise vendors.
In an official statement, Council Spokeswoman Julia Agos criticized the mayor’s veto, calling it another example of him prioritizing President Trump’s immigration agenda over the needs of New Yorkers.
“While leaving in place the enforcement tools of violations, fines, and civil offenses, the bill simply removed the excessive criminal misdemeanor penalties that can block New Yorkers’ access to educational, employment, housing and immigration opportunities,” Agos said. “The Council negotiated this bill in good faith with the Administration, only to have the mayor disregard the work of the advisory board and his own staff with this veto.”
She continued: “As the Trump administration continues to attack working families and immigrant communities, Mayor Adams’ veto is yet another example of him supporting Trump’s agenda over New Yorkers.”
Ninety-six percent of the city’s street vendors are immigrants, according to the Immigration Research Initiative, and advocates say criminal penalties increase their risk of deportation under the Trump administration.
The council says it will “consider its next steps to protect our city from a mayor willing to put his own political needs over people and sound policy that keeps us all safe, with access to opportunity.”
Intro. 47-B is part of the broader Street Vending Reform Package, a series of legislation designed to ease restrictions on street vending across NYC. Other components include Intro. 431, which ensures all vendors can access licenses; Intro. 408, which would create a New York City Small Business Services division to provide educational resources for vendors; Intro. 24, designed to unlock more legal vending locations; and Intro. 2521, which would ensure licenses are issued annually in accordance with the law, according to Queens Latino.
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