Michigan House passes bill to let children run lemonade stands without permits or fees

The logistics for kids who wish to host a lemonade stand in Michigan will be easier if a state bill becomes law, according to state lawmakers.

House Bill 6007, introduced by Rep. Cam Cavitt (R-Cheboygan), would amend the Michigan food law to allow minors to host a temporary food business on private property, under the conditions that the sale is limited to lemonade or other nonalcoholic beverages that do not need to be temperature-controlled for safety.

The lemonade-stand style temporary food business also must bring in less than $5,000 a year.

The bill was unanimously passed by the House on Thursday and referred to the Senate.

"Children from our community initially brought this issue to my attention when their local health department demanded that they pay repeated fees to run their lemonade stand," Cavitt said.

Cavitt explained that oversight of lemonade stands varies by local jurisdiction, and some health departments require permits and/or licensing fees for those small operations. The potential financial losses to the local health departments "would be very small," the bill's summary said.

"This is a practical change that will make it easier for our kids to gain real business experience and develop civic responsibility. I was glad to see the votes pour in," Cavitt said.

The American tradition of lemonade stands dates back to 1839 in New York City, according to a 2024 Smithsonian magazine article. The food vendors selling freshly made lemonade at the time to passersby were generally adults. But by the early 1900s, such drink stands were typically run by youth for pocket money or charity. About 40% of those in the baby boom generation recalled running a lemonade stand as a youth, the magazine said.

In response to legal questions in recent years about these youth-run small business ventures, the magazine said, some states, including Georgia and Texas, have passed or proposed laws removing most regulations from youth-run beverage stands.