NEWARK, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- Government officials in New Jersey can no longer lay down the law on kids who want to run temporary businesses without a permit as of Tuesday.
Gov. Phil Murphy signed the bill into law Tuesday, letting kids run temporary businesses without needing permits, and outlawing the state or towns from cracking down on it.
“Nobody is getting sick because a 6-year-old’s lemonade stand didn’t get a health inspection, and professional vendors aren’t being driven out of business by the $5 a child might collect from supportive neighbors,” said Republican state Sen. Michael Doherty.
Doherty said he was glad Gov. Murphy signed off on the new law, but took aim at towns that “put the smackdown” on kids with an entrepreneurial spirit.
The law builds on 2016’s Right to Shovel law, which Doherty also sponsored, which came after a pair of teens were stopped by police from going to door-to-door to make money shoveling snow.
According to the 2021 bill, the idea spawned from a similar law enacted in Utah following stories of officials shutting down lemonade stands because they didn’t have a permit.
The law takes effect immediately, and also applies to services like mowing lawns.
“In the end, they’re just kids who shouldn’t have to pay $100 to $200 in permit costs in order to sell lemonade for a few hours,” said Democratic state Assemblyman Nicholas Chiaravalloti, who sponsored the bill as well.
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