Mayor Keller Legalizes Neighborhood Markets
New rule strengthens local food economy and food accessibility for families.
Mayor Tim Keller announced a rule with zero fees to make it easier for small, locally owned neighborhood markets to open in communities that currently lack convenient access to healthy food.
The City’s Environmental Health Department is creating a new category of business under the city’s “retail food establishment” permit. The new permit will require that a store be less than 5,000 square feet, cannot sell alcohol, tobacco or cannabis products and must provide grocery products focused on healthy, affordable foods. The new permit will simplify and accelerate the process for opening small-scale neighborhood markets, particularly in underserved areas. To make it easier for first-time business owners and local farmers to enter the market, the Environmental Health Department is reducing the business fee to 25% of the standard rate. The Chief Administrative Officer will grant fee waivers to qualifying new small grocers.
