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Council sought to relax sidewalk vending restrictions for Spruce Street property owners

Official:Amending Section 9-204 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Sidewalk Vendors in Center City," by exempting sidewalk sales by owners and tenants of properties in the 1500 block of Spruce Street, and permitting such activity under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Council President Verna

Introduced: February 5, 2004

: Committee on Streets and Services

business neighborhood zoning

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2004–2007 Council term and when that term ran out. The public record shows no committee vote and no floor vote at any stage, so no member of Council ever went on record for or against it.

That is not unusual here. Of the 8,465 bills introduced between 2000 and 2025, 1,624 lapsed without a single recorded vote. Ninety percent of bills that became law carry a roll call. Three percent of lapsed bills do. How this works.

Plain-Language Summary

This bill amends an existing city ordinance to exempt certain property owners in Center City from sidewalk vending regulations and permit them to sell goods on their properties under specific conditions.

What This Bill Does

AI-written. Every figure is checked against the bill text.

Exempts sidewalk sales by owners and tenants of properties in the 1500 block of Spruce Street from sidewalk vending regulations.
Permits sidewalk vending at these locations under certain conditions, including that the vending be accessory to a business conducted in the abutting property.
Waives the license requirement for sidewalk vendors at these locations, as specified in Section 9-205.
Imposes restrictions on the arrangement and display of goods and merchandise, requiring them to be displayed in a single layer and maintaining a minimum of 5 feet of unobstructed sidewalk width.