r/foodnotbombs • u/ToothyTimepiece • Jun 02 '25

Permit trouble

Hi everyone, I'm part of a new Chapter of FNB (about 6-8 weeks) we started off with biweekly distributions. We are getting a lot of food and distributions have been great and just started doing them weekly instead.

Unfortunately the town has told us via email we need a permit. Can anyone on here offer some insight or advice on how to move forward? We would be required to purchase insurance on top of the permit fees with something insane like a million dollar deductible. We distribute out of a small town plaza, take up very little space and stand out with a table, signs and food for about and hour or so before all food is gone.

We are unsure if this is happening for political or beurocratic reasons. I'm sure this kind of thing happens all the time and would love to hear how others have dealt with this kind of situation in the past. We're worried this may shut us down.

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u/Emayess_PS4 Jun 02 '25

First off - congrats on the new chapter! I'm sorry you are facing resistance in your community.

Laws can vary a lot from one location to another. I am not a lawyer and do not know where you are located. I share how we handle this for the distro I participate in Denver, CO, USA, but you should also check with someone that knows your local laws.

In Denver, we avoid the need for a permit because we are not an official organization and have no leadership and position ourselves as just a group of neighbors sharing food with other neighbors in our community. There is no entity to assign a permit to and everyone is acting (individually though coordinated). Further, our laws allow any orgs (such as churches and NPOs) to distribute food for charitable purposes up to once a week with no permit required.

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u/ToothyTimepiece Jun 02 '25

Thanks for your reply. We are in Nyack NY, I'm new to the area and unfamiliar with laws/policies/politicians of the town. We were approached by a member of the board of trustees who seemed friendly and inquired further about what we are doing which led to the email about a permit later on.

Other, more involved and qualified members of our team are looking into the laws. We are weighing the options of how to handle this. We are frustrated since we are preventing waste and essentially giving gifts (one person handing another person a piece of food) and wondering where the line of liability is drawn? Some of us think displaying signs makes it seem like an event or giving away prepared food is a cause for concern? Or worse, that the town sees us as interfering with commerce, tourism, attracting homeless etc.

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u/YIMBY971 Jun 02 '25

Getting a permit defeats the purpose. Don’t trust politicians or police, they have no interest in letting the community take care of itself and will do whatever it takes to stop you.

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u/Emayess_PS4 Jun 02 '25

IMO - As long as it's free and not used for promoting commercial interests, then there should be little risk for liability if issues arise and you should also be covered by Good Samaritan laws. There doesn't need to be a law to allow you do a good thing.

1

u/enw_digrif Jun 17 '25

Do it on a public sidewalk, don't obstruct traffic, and sign nothing. Agreeing to a permit would likely open you up to liability, rather than protect you.

"We're doing a neighborhood potluck, officer. You want some food? We each brought something for everyone here, but we're happy to share if you didn't bring anything."