Reno City Council members last week considered a new ordinance to amend the Reno Municipal Code by creating a chapter for sidewalk vendors with rules for permits and licensing.
During the 2023 legislative session, Senate Bill 92 passed, and it sets requirements for regulating sidewalk vendors. It takes effect on Jan. 1, 2024. The purpose of SB92 was to help legitimize street vendors and reduce barriers to becoming one, such as removing requirements for background checks, fingerprinting, personal history statements and location assignments.
A map outlining the zones where sidewalk vendors are allowed will be created and posted on the city’s website. No operations will be permitted within 1,500 feet of resort hotels or convention space; vending will essentially be prohibited in the downtown sector, except for private streets, which the city cannot regulate. This portion of the law was focused on keeping vendors clear of resorts on the Las Vegas Strip and its entertainment district.
“I’m also pro-business, but this is state law and has nothing to do with us.”– Mayor Hillary Schieve
Council member Naomi Duerr said this stipulation is coming from state law, not the city, but questioned whether the ordinance would cause issues with vendors associated with specific events being able to sell their merchandise within the downtown sector. Vendors are often a part of festivals held on Virginia Street, including those hosted by the resort hotels. She asked city staff to clarify that detail by the second reading.
Sidewalk vendors must still obtain a health permit from Northern Nevada Public Health before securing a business license from the city.
Council member Jenny Brekhus said she would not support the ordinance because it “red lines” small business owners out of the downtown sector.
“It is, in my view, an example of southern Nevada having an issue, wanting to fix it, and it doesn’t work,” she said. “I don’t know how the downtown vendors are getting red-lined out of downtown when it has the greatest density of foot traffic to do their small business activities. It’s misaligned, and I’m not supporting it.”
“I’m also pro-business, but this is state law and has nothing to do with us,” Schieve said.
A second reading will return before the council on Dec. 6, 2023.
