Denver City Council Moves Forward On Legalizing Children’s Lemonade Stands

The Denver City Council gave initial approval Wednesday to a bill that would allow anyone under the age of 18 to sell lemonade, coffee or tea without needing a license or permit.

The Denver Post reports the proposal stems from a May incident where police shuttered a child's lemonade stand because they hadn't secured the proper permits:

The officers said that the young family needed three different permits, including one that costs $100. Dejected, they packed up their table and left the public park, returning to their home just across the street in Denver’s Stapleton neighborhood. Their first business venture, which was supposed to benefit a boy in Indonesia, was over.

Three months later, though, that disappointment has snowballed into real change. On Wednesday afternoon, Denver City Council members gave early approval for a bill that would legalize kids’ lemonade stands.

The bill would consider a child's lemonade stand as a "temporary food establishment" -- meaning it could operate for no more than 84 days total. And it couldn't be set up next to, or near, other licensed food or beverage vendors.

You can read a copy of the bill here.