Pittsburgh on Tuesday made it easier for vendors to set up retail or food stands throughout the city.
The changes will take effect shortly, well in advance of the 2026 NFL Draft in April.
The three-day event — which will span Downtown and the North Shore — is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors.
Under current rules, food and retail vendors with mobile licenses have to move every four hours and are largely limited to metered parking spots. Permanent vendors have to get permission — including council approval — to hawk their wares at a specific site.
But the new rules — which previously earned approval from the city’s Planning Commission — pave the way for vendors to operate in more parking areas, vacant lots, parks and properties in business districts. The measure also removes the requirement that mobile vendors switch spots every four hours.
Vendors are still barred from operating within 150 feet of a brick-and-mortar business or a stationary vendor selling the same type of merchandise, unless the competing business grants permission for the other vendor to be closer.
Jacquelyn Wright, a Hill District resident who owns a food truck, said existing rules were sometimes unclear.
Wright last week urged council ahead of its preliminary vote on the bill to expand where food trucks could set up shop.
“I believe if we’re allowed to come down here, we can drive more money and revenue to the city,” she said.
Others questioned whether opening up more opportunities for vendors would hurt permanent businesses, which can’t relocate as easily and come with higher costs.
Howard Todd, of Mt. Washington, told council members he felt it was more appropriate for vendors to operate farther from certain business districts.
“Street vendors make a much lower cash investment in their business compared to brick and mortar establishments,” Todd said.
Councilman Khari Mosley, D-Point Breeze, last week said officials were striving to strike “the proper balance” between supporting street vendors and curbing extra competition that might hurt brick-and-mortar businesses.
He also said he hoped to see the city support vendors using temporary outdoor set-ups as an “on-ramp” to eventually move into more permanent shops or restaurants.
City Council unanimously approved the legislation. Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, was not present for the vote.
