Mamdani Administration Directs Agencies to Inventory and Reduce Fees That Strangle Small Businesses
Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed Executive Order 11 directing city agencies to identify and reduce the fees and fines that small businesses pay in New York City, acknowledging that the regulatory environment has grown so complex that it actively discourages entrepreneurship and drives up costs for customers. The executive order directs the Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su and seven agencies to create a comprehensive inventory of all fees and civil penalties imposed on small businesses, identify ways to reduce and streamline them, and advance policy reforms to do so in coming months.
The Regulatory Burden Problem
Small businesses face a bewildering web of over 6,000 regulations and rules that make it harder to start or grow a business in New York City. These regulations drive up costs for businesses and ultimately for customers who pay higher prices to cover regulatory compliance expenses. The administration has identified fees and penalties as a significant burden that disproportionately harms small business owners who lack the compliance infrastructure that large corporations maintain.
Government Should Be a Partner
Mayor Mamdani signed the executive order in Brooklyn at a locally-owned small business, emphasizing that government should be a partner to small business owners, not an obstacle. The administration has pledged to deliver relief to businesses from the fines and fees that drive up their costs.
Deputy Mayor Su’s Mandate
Deputy Mayor Julie Su stated that small business owners of New York give the city its identity and vibrancy, yet have too often been absent from decision-making conversations. Under the Mamdani administration, small businesses are being treated as partners rather than compliance problems.
Agency Coordination
Seven city agencies have been directed to coordinate with the Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice to conduct the inventory and reform effort: the Department of Small Business Services, the Department of Finance, the Department of Environmental Protection, the Department of Buildings, the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, the Department of Sanitation, and the Department of Transportation.
Policy Reform Timeline
The administration aims to complete the comprehensive inventory within 90 days and begin advancing policy reforms to reduce fees and fines within the first six months. The timeline recognizes that small businesses need relief quickly rather than after lengthy bureaucratic processes.
Enforcement Consistency
The administration has noted that some businesses comply with regulations while others avoid them, creating unfair competition. When the city appears indifferent to enforcement disparities, compliant businesses question why they should follow the rules if enforcement is inconsistent. The administration intends to combine fee reduction with consistent, fair enforcement.
Broader Economic Justice Agenda
This executive order sits within the broader Mamdani administration economic justice agenda. Deputy Mayor Su has been tasked with advancing policies that reduce costs for working families and small business owners while ensuring that the city’s economic resources benefit ordinary New Yorkers.
Union Labor and Living Wages
The administration is simultaneously advancing policies to expand union representation in city government and ensure prevailing wage standards for public employees. These protections ensure that public sector growth does not displace living-wage workers. Find more information about small business support, NYC tax and fees, and small business resources.
