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Health department says it can issue more supervisory license applications; warns of commissary and inspection workload
Summary
Intro 12-51 would clarify DOHMH responsibility to ensure issuance of the maximum number of supervisory mobile-food license applications required by Local Law 18. DOHMH told the council it can issue additional applications but warned that expanded licensing increases inspection, commissary and training workload.
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene told the City Council it has the technical ability to issue additional supervisory license applications to meet the targets set by Local Law 18 of 2021, but cautioned that any significant expansion would increase the departmentwide inspection, training and commissary oversight workload.
DOHMH Deputy Commissioner Corinne Schiff explained the supervisory license framework created by Local Law 18: the law requires the department to issue 445 supervisory license applications each year for 10 years beginning in July 2022; a supervisory license is issued to a person and a supervisory license permit authorizes a cart or truck. "The department is charged with issuing 445 applications for a supervisory license each year for 10 years as of July 2022," Schiff said, adding that the agency has in practice issued more than required in some years and reissued applications that did not turn into licenses.
Schiff said the department had issued 823 supervisory licenses to date and that 382 of those licensees had obtained supervisory license permits to operate carts or trucks. She warned that if the council changes the cap on food vending licenses it would expand the health department's workload for mandatory food safety training, permit inspection and monitoring.
DOHMH also emphasized an operational constraint: state and city law require food carts and trucks to be associated with a permitted commissary for cleaning, storage and preparation. "Any vending expansion must ensure sufficient commissary space to meet food safety requirements," Schiff said.
The department said it had no objection to the bill's goal of issuing additional supervisory license applications if needed to meet Local Law 18 targets, but it opposed lifting the cap entirely and asked to work with the council on implementation and the departmental costs of monitoring additional permitted units.
Ending: DOHMH signaled willingness to increase application issuance under Intro 12-51 but warned the council to account for inspection, training, commissary capacity and related department costs.
