Mayor Mamdani signs executive order launching OPEN package to cut red tape for small businesses

Mayor Zoran Kwame Mamdani on Tuesday unveiled "OPEN" — a package of more than 50 regulatory reforms — and signed an executive order aimed at simplifying permits, reducing redundant fees and expanding city help for small businesses.

The reforms target a range of requirements that city officials said created unnecessary delays for entrepreneurs. The mayor said the package will eliminate a separate frozen‑dessert permit that required restaurants already licensed to serve food to seek a second authorization; reduce overlapping barber licenses; and remove other antiquated or redundant rules. "No more treatsploitation," Mamdani said during the La Bodega event in The Bronx.

Why it matters: city officials said the changes are intended to shorten timelines for openings, cut enforcement costs and increase predictability for owners who frequently navigate multiple city agencies. The administration said OPEN will be made permanent through the executive order and will stand up a cross‑agency body to continue identifying reforms year‑round.

The executive order also includes two operational commitments: an expansion of NYC Best (the city's business express team) to provide a single point of contact and case managers who proactively help owners before inspections, and a requirement that inspectors hand out an expanded Business Owner Bill of Rights at every inspection and point of service. "Instead of navigating the confusing landscape of city permits on their own, aspiring business owners will be assigned a case manager," Mayor Mamdani said.

Kenny Manaea, the commissioner of Small Business Services, described the reforms as practical changes born of roundtables with business owners across the five boroughs. "We're cutting fines and fees and elevating the city's customer service standards," Manaea said, urging owners to visit nyc.gov/business or call SBS for assistance.

At the event, small business owner Christopher Afum, who has used NYC Best while opening two juice bars, credited the program with providing lease review and mock inspections at no cost. "They didn't just provide resources for me. They provided relationships, expertise, and confidence," Afum said.

What the order does and next steps: city officials said OPEN will (1) create a permanent reform body to pursue additional rule‑making and simplifications; (2) expand NYC Best with staffing and a single‑contact model; and (3) require distribution of the Business Owner Bill of Rights at inspections. Officials said some changes will require state cooperation (for example, consolidating certain state and city licenses) and that further implementing rules and timelines will be published by the affected agencies.

The city portrayed the package as both regulatory relief and cultural change: officials emphasized inspector training, clearer compliance expectations and options such as quarterly payments for certain fines, which Council member Chanel Thomas Henry said the City Council is working to codify through complementary legislation.

The mayor held a ceremonial shredding of sample regulations and signed the executive order at the event. City officials said additional guidance and implementation dates will be posted online; specific statutory changes that require state action were described as "to be negotiated" with state counterparts.

Ending: the administration said OPEN is intended to help entrepreneurs open their doors faster and keep them open longer; implementation details, including timelines and any changes requiring state approval, will be available from the relevant city agencies.