- Michigan’s House unanimously passed House Bill 6007, which would let minors run lemonade stands on private property without local permits, licenses or fees, as long as sales stay under $5,000 a year.
- The bill grew directly out of kids in one community who were told they’d have to pay repeated fees to their local health department to run a stand.
- The bill now heads to the Michigan Senate; it is not yet law.
A State House has unanimously passed a bill to stop local health departments from charging kids permit fees to run a lemonade stand — a change sparked by children who were told they owed repeated fees just to sell drinks on their own property.
Michigan House Bill 6007, introduced by Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, would amend the state’s food law to let minors run a temporary lemonade stand on private property without a permit, license or registration, as long as sales are limited to nonalcoholic drinks that don’t require temperature control and bring in less than $5,000 a year.
Cavitt said the bill traces back to real kids in his district.
“Children from our community initially brought this issue to my attention when their local health department demanded that they pay repeated fees to run their lemonade stand,” Cavitt told CBS Detroit.
Oversight of lemonade stands currently varies by local jurisdiction, and some health departments require permits or licensing fees even for small, seasonal operations run by kids. The bill’s own summary noted the potential financial loss to local health departments “would be very small.”
“This is a practical change that will make it easier for our kids to gain real business experience and develop civic responsibility. I was glad to see the votes pour in,” Cavitt said.
The American lemonade stand has deep roots: according to a 2024 Smithsonian magazine article cited by CBS Detroit, vendors were selling fresh lemonade to passersby in New York City as early as 1839, though it wasn’t until the early 1900s that such stands became a fixture of kids earning pocket money or raising money for charity. Around 40% of baby boomers recall running one growing up, per the magazine.
In recent years, legal questions around youth-run drink stands have prompted other states, including Georgia and Texas, to pass or propose laws stripping away most local regulation of the tradition.
The bill passed the Michigan House on a unanimous vote and now heads to the state Senate.
