City of Charleston Committee on Traffic and Transportation 6/11/26

The City of Charleston Traffic and Transportation Committee held a special meeting on June 11, 2026, to address the city's street vending ordinance, which has been dormant since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The committee discussed updating and revising the ordinance to better regulate designated vending spots, reduce the number of approved vending locations from ten to eight, and implement new rules for public safety and event coordination. They agreed to recommend sending the updated ordinance and a request to re-bid the vending spots to the Ways and Means Committee and City Council for approval in July. The bidding process will include minimum annual bid amounts adjusted for inflation, and winning bidders will have exclusive rights to their vending spaces, subject to new operational requirements such as lockable wheels, no generators or open flames, and insurance coverage. The committee voted unanimously to approve moving forward with these recommendations.