Council adopts Resale Act to curb scalping, bans surveillance pricing for live events

On final reading the Council passed Bill 206624, the Resale Act (Restricting Aggravious Scalping Against Live Entertainment Amendment Act of 2026), as amended.

Councilmember Pinto offered an amendment to strike mayoral authority to regulate ticket fees in the primary market, saying local venues rely on these fees "as part of the core business model" and that uncertainty would harm their ability to contract. Councilmember Parker expressed concern that removing primary‑market authority could empower large national platforms, citing Department of Justice findings about fee levels; she said the Council should not "turn a blind eye to Ticketmaster gouging."

A second amendment, introduced and moved by Councilmembers Allen, Henderson and Nadeau, clarified the bill's ban on surveillance pricing — defined as individualized pricing based on personally identifiable information — and carved out exemptions where discounts are provided according to publicly available eligibility criteria (teachers, military, seniors, etc.), are broadly defined group offers, or part of publicly established need‑based programs. That amendment passed unanimously and the bill as amended passed on final vote with unanimous ayes.

Key provisions discussed include a 10% cap on markups above face value, a ban on speculative (phantom) ticket sales, registration and bonding requirements for high‑volume resellers, and an "all‑in" pricing requirement so fees and taxes are disclosed up front. Sponsors described the law as among the strongest consumer protections for live‑event fans in the country.