Street vendor permits in Kings County, NY — sometimes called sidewalk vendor licenses, mobile vendor permits, or peddler permits — are the licenses required to sell goods or food on public property.
NYC caps DCWP General Vendor Licenses at 853 citywide (plus unlimited disabled-veteran licenses). The waitlist has been closed since 1979. Local Law 18 of 2021 created 445 new food permits annually but not general vendor licenses.
Selling goods (non-food) on NYC sidewalks requires a DCWP General Vendor License under NYC Admin Code §20-453. The license cap is 853 citywide, a ceiling set by Local Law 55 of 1979 that remains closed. An unlimited number of disabled-veteran vendor licenses are available under NY General Business Law §32. Vendors of First Amendment-protected goods (books, newspapers, art, political material) are exempt per People v. Balmuth and federal caselaw and require no license. Food vendors use a separate DOHMH Mobile Food Vendor License/Permit (capped at ~5,500 with +445/year under LL 18/2021). Brooklyn has large vendor communities along Fulton Street Mall, Flatbush Avenue, and Atlantic Avenue — though Fulton Mall is on the restricted-street list. Unlicensed vending is heavily enforced by NYPD and OSVE with ticketing and cart/goods seizure.
Unlicensed general vending: $250–$1,000 per violation under §20-472; property seizure. Multiple violations can result in permanent ban from applying.
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