A Charlotte City Council committee on Monday advanced a proposal that would effectively ban street vending across most of Charlotte, with carveouts for designated districts like uptown and potentially South End.
Currently, street vending is regulated only in uptown and in NoDa, while vendors are generally free to set up on public streets and sidewalks elsewhere.
In uptown, vendors must obtain a permit and pay a $350 annual fee though a program run by Charlotte Center City Partners. Committee Chair Dante Anderson said Monday that the group has expressed interest in operating a similar program in South End.
Street vending in NoDa — considered Charlotte's arts district — became illegal earlier this year after the council's Safety Committee allowed a pilot program to expire.
The push for tighter regulations comes after months of complaints from business owners and residents about unpermitted vendors blocking sidewalks and store entrances and selling questionable merchandise, including food and THC products.
Should repeat violations carry criminal charges?
City staff and representatives from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department also told council members that many civil citations issued to street vendors go unpaid, making enforcement difficult.
To address that, the committee advanced a proposal to explore the possibility of a Class 3 misdemeanor for vendors who repeatedly violate the rules — possibly after their third or fourth infraction. CMPD representatives said officers would need a way to track repeat offenders before such a system could be implemented.
Still, several council members said they remained skeptical that selling food or merchandise on the sidewalk should carry criminal penalties.
"A criminal penalty option could create double standards for street vendors versus brick-and-mortar businesses, and that's why I am against," Council member Dimple Ajmera said.
Council member James "Smuggie" Mitchell also expressed concerns.
"I'm struggling with the word 'criminal,' when I think most of our street vendors have good intentions to try to be successful and grow their business," Mitchell said.
But council member Ed Driggs argued that criminal penalties should remain available as a last resort for vendors who repeatedly ignore the rules.
"We would need to help them, guide them through the process, show them the way to do it properly, but then have deterrents for those who are scofflaws and just stick their tongue out when you tell them to move," Driggs said.
The committee voted 4-1 to continue exploring criminal penalties for repeat offenders, with Ajmera opposed. Members also unanimously directed staff to gather more information on street-vending citations, collection rates and repeat offenders before the proposal returns to the full council.
