San Francisco board advances legal-tender ordinance requiring businesses to accept cash

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted to pass on first reading an ordinance requiring most brick-and-mortar businesses to accept cash for purchases.

Supporters said the measure addresses exclusion of residents who do not have bank accounts or who rely on cash. Supervisor Brown, the ordinance sponsor, told the board that local studies show sizable portions of African American and Latino households lack bank access and that going “cashless” can exclude seniors, immigrants and people experiencing homelessness. She said the office will continue to promote programs to increase banking access but that the ordinance is needed in the meantime.

“Residents who rely on cash to pay for goods and services are unjustly excluded when merchants refuse cash,” Supervisor Brown said during remarks on the measure. She described outreach with merchants and equity advocates that shaped the ordinance’s final language.

Other supervisors, including Walton and “Supervisor Stephanie,” expressed support and tied the ordinance to broader efforts—such as a public bank and financial-inclusion initiatives—to reduce the number of unbanked residents. No member of the board objected to taking the item together with the consent calendar; the clerk announced the ordinance passed on first reading unanimously.

Implementation and enforcement details were not discussed in depth at the meeting. The ordinance was presented as a first-reading passage; subsequent hearings or administrative rules will determine enforcement mechanisms and exemptions, if any.

The measure is part of a broader national debate over “cashless” businesses and municipal attempts to ensure access to commerce for residents without bank accounts.