For immediate release: Nov. 10, 2025
Contact: Rachel Gordon, rachel.gordon@sfdpw.org
MAYOR LURIE TO ADVANCE PROPOSED STREET VENDING LAW
Proposed changes would complement San Francisco’s existing Street Vendor Permit Program that provides entrepreneurship opportunities, while maintaining a safe and accessible public right of way in the City’s neighborhood commercial corridors
San Francisco, CA – A Board of Supervisors committee is scheduled to consider Mayor Daniel Lurie’s legislation this coming Thursday to establish enhanced enforcement rules that would apply to the sale of goods on City property and sidewalks without a permit.
Currently, vending or selling food or merchandise on City property and sidewalks without a permit is prohibited. Violators face escalating fines of up to $1,000, plus the potential confiscation of their goods.
But following the recent passage of California Senate Bill 276 – which Mayor Lurie advocated for and state Sen. Scott Wiener sponsored – the Board of Supervisors will consider changes to the City’s vending program to increase and enhance penalties for vending without a permit.
Under the proposed ordinance, vendors caught selling merchandise that is a common target of retail theft on City property or sidewalks without a permit would face escalating enforcement action starting with a written warning for the first violation. The second and third violations within 18 months of the first violation would be punishable as infractions. The fourth and subsequent violations within 18 months of the first violation could be charged as infractions or misdemeanors punishable by up to six months in jail and/or a fine not to exceed $1,000.
The goals of the ordinance are to curtail the resale of stolen goods, uplift our city’s permitted vendors and keep sidewalks safe and accessible.
Based on retail theft data compiled by the San Francisco Police Department, the ordinance includes a list of goods that are common targets of retail theft – or “targeted merchandise” – that includes food and beverages, such as packaged food and snacks, soda, coffee and alcohol; clothing, sunglasses and shoes; cosmetics and skin care products; personal hygiene and toiletry items, including toothpaste and shampoo; laundry supplies and household cleaning supplies; electronics and batteries; medicine, vitamins, medical supplies and tobacco products; backpacks; tools; and more. Public Works Order No. 212312 contains a complete list of commonly targeted merchandise; the order is available on the Public Works orders page at www.sfpublicworks.org.
Upcoming Board of Supervisors Committee Meeting
The Board of Supervisors Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee is scheduled to discuss the legislation at its meeting on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, at 10 a.m. in room 250 at City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place.
Following the committee meeting, the Board of Supervisors could vote on the legislation as soon as Nov. 18, 2025, for initial consideration; a second and final vote could be held as early as Dec. 2, 2025.
If approved by the full Board of Supervisors and signed by Mayor Lurie in December, the new law would take effect in January 2026.
How to Apply for a Street Vendor Permit Now
The City, meanwhile, continues to issue Street Vendor Permits under its existing vending program, which provides vendors with the legal means to sell legitimately obtained goods to support economic opportunity and encourage entrepreneurship with a low barrier to entry. The permits, administered by San Francisco Public Works, also serve the public interest by maintaining a safe and accessible public right of way.
Permits can be issued for both stationary and roaming vendors. Stationary vendors must sell from one or more fixed locations designated in the permit, while roaming vendors may move from place to place and stop only intermittently to complete a transaction.
The City created an online portal for streamlined submission and review of vendor applications. Applications can be submitted online at https://www.sf.gov/apply-street-vending-permit
The form is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Filipino.
The following materials must be submitted as part of the permit application:
- Business Account Number
- Description of vending location or vending route
- Applicants seeking a fee waiver or reduction must provide documentation verifying low-income status (see examples below). Fees will be invoiced to the applicant after an application is submitted. Permit fees shall not exceed $25 for applicants earning less than 200% of area median income or receiving certain public benefits, such as CalWORKs, CalFresh, general assistance, Medi-Cal, Supplemental Security Income, the State Supplementary Payment Program, the California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program, or the Family Electric Rate Assistance program
- Days and hours of operation
- Items to be sold
- Photograph of applicant
- Proof of identity (applicants will not be asked about immigration or citizenship status)
Basic Restrictions on Permitted Vendors:
- Vendors must operate only at the location(s) listed on their permit and only during the approved times
- On-site vendor must match the photograph and Business Account information submitted in the vendor’s permit application; third parties, such as employees of a business, must submit their own application(s)
- Vendors must actively attend to any equipment placed in the right of way and remove the equipment promptly at the conclusion of operations each day
- Vendors may not obstruct utilities or other similar facilities located in the right of way
- Vendors may not obstruct construction or other permitted commercial activity
- Stationary vendors may not operate in areas that are zoned exclusively residential
- Vendors shall maintain a minimum 2 feet of clearance along the curbside when operating adjacent to existing on-street parallel parking
- Vendors may not operate in proximity of the following locations without written consent from the Director of Public Works: certified farmers’ markets, swap meets or City-permitted special events at United Nations Plaza and Hallidie Plaza
- Items sold must be listed on the vendor’s issued permit
- The vendor’s operation must allow for a straight, unobstructed path of travel for pedestrians; the path must be at least 6 feet wide
- The vendor’s operation must allow for larger clearances in the following locations: 8 feet from Street Artist License operators, 7 feet from fire hydrants and 15 feet from bus zones or blue zones, 2 feet from the curb, when operating adjacent to existing on-street parallel parking
- Vendors shall not obstruct access to any corner or mid-block accessible curb ramp or sidewalk angular return or other designated pedestrian crossing
- Vendors must not interfere with building entrances, driveways, Fire Department connections or access to fire escapes
Basic Permit Holder Responsibilities:
- Ensure they sell the goods at the approved location(s)
- Maintain cleanliness of the vending area and limit excessive noise and odors related to the vending operation
- Sidewalk areas may not be painted, landscaped or altered in any way without prior approval from Public Works
- Display a copy of their Street Vendor Permit and Business Registration Certificate in public view while operating
- Be able to demonstrate lawful proof of ownership of goods being sold, such as receipts from stores or suppliers
- Renew the permit annually in advance of the expiration date
- Comply with the applicable rules and regulations of Public Works, the San Francisco Department of Public Health and the San Francisco Fire Department
- Vendors seeking to operate within the jurisdiction of the Port of San Francisco will, in addition to requiring a permit from Public Works, be subject to siting and operating requirements specified by the Port.
Assistance for Street Vendor Permit Applicants
Street Vendor Permit applicants who have questions can contact the Public Works permits team by calling 628-271-2000 or emailing streetvendorpermit@sfdpw.org.
