Search

Street Vending Bill Passes First Reading 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The D.C. Council passed a bill on first reading that decriminalizes street vending and recognizes it as a livelihood that contributes to the culture and economy of the city.

With dozens of street vendors and advocates in attendance, the Council passed the Street Vendor Advancement Amendment Act 12-0, with one councilmember voting present. The measure was introduced by Ward 1 Councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau and co-introduced by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson. It ends criminalization, creates a pilot program in Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant with a vending zone manager, makes it easier for vendors to get licenses, and creates an amnesty program for unpaid licensing-related citations so that vendors can restart with properly obtained licenses.

“We are changing street vending from something just tolerated to recognizing it as a fundamental part of our economy, a pathway to economic empowerment for residents, and indeed, an economic development engine itself,” Nadeau said.

The legislation has been four years in the making, with Nadeau first introducing legislation on the subject in 2019. If passed, D.C. would become the third major city in the U.S. to reform its vendor licensing regulations, following New York City and Los Angeles.

In her remarks to the Council on Tuesday, Nadeau addressed the vendors and advocates from Beloved Community Incubator and Vendadores Unidos who were present.

“You have raised your voices, shared your experiences, and kept me and my fellow council members accountable for moving this forward,” Nadeau said. “Government works best when it’s a partnership with residents and you have made this very much a partnership.”

Read Councilmember Nadeau’s full remarks.

###

Related

I have opposed, from the start, the use of taxpayer dollars to support a stadium for a private organization, owned by billionaires, that will make them billions of dollars. The more the deal is analyzed, the more resolved I am in my position.
At Monday's Council vote on the First Reading of the FY 2026 budget, we restored funds to critical programs, approved funding for ranked choice voting, and postponed action on the ill-conceived repeal of I-82, the tipped minimum wage.
Big news from Monday’s Council vote on the First Reading of the FY 2026 budget, including restoring funds to critical programs, approving funding for ranked choice voting, and postponing action on the ill-conceived repeal of I-82, the tipped minimum wage.

Most Recent

Search

Stay connected with updates from Councilmember Nadeau

Be sure to click “confirm my email” when you receive the confirmation email.