Anyone know if it would be possible to pass a city ordinance allowing kids to legitimately operate a lemonade stand during the summer, without getting shut down by the city or locked up for not paying taxes? Lemonade day is great and all, but I'm not sure one afternoon truly gives the same experience kids can really benefit from in life.

So just wondering what it would take to 'legalize' these stands with the HOA's and city to give the kids who want to hustle a chance to so..

Is this a real problem??? I have never heard of this being an issue in Bryan or College Station.

The issue with "the HOAs" is that any type of commercial activity, even a lemonade stand, changes the insurance classification for the property.

Ooooooh
More laws and regulations.


Sounds great!

Very true about the HOAs. When I lived in castlegate they sent me a letter reminding me the rules about running a business from home simply because my truck had my business name on it. So I get the HOA issue, but I have never heard of either city messing with kids about lemonade stands.
As much as a pain in the ass the HOA is I don't see a need for a city ordinance about it.

If one supports a state/city law on texting and driving, they should support this.

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So just wondering what it would take to 'legalize' these stands with the HOA's and city to give the kids who want to hustle a chance to so..

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I seriously doubt the city would care about a kids lemonade stand. Unless we're talking about a legitimate business doing $500 a day vs some kids making pocket change. No different than when I was a kid going door to door asking to mow lawns.

As far as HOA is concerned, I would really be curious how far they would push the issue. I was an HOA board member and believe me we did not care about kids lemonade stands. Again this is assuming that we are talking about a small operation.

Gotta echo cslifer. Have not heard this is a problem here.

As an HOA board member and property owner, I don't care if a kid has a lemonade stand in his family's yard. I do care if it is on HOA property, for the fact that if there is an issue and the HOA has to pay up for a stupid lawsuit, then as a member of the HOA that will come out of my pocket when the insurance rate increase causes the annual fee to rise. People get pissy when they are told they can't use the facility to have a pampered chef party, etc, where business is conducted.... or have a sleepover at the pool. They don't seem to grasp the fact that every property has to cover that liability, not just the individual. If it could be put off in each person , no problem.

I just have a hard time understanding why they wouldn't be paying taxes. Since they are registering as a business it seems like almost an afterthought. You wouldn't want to educate them to run an illegitimate business otherwise right?

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So just wondering what it would take to 'legalize' these stands with the HOA's and city to give the kids who want to hustle a chance to so..

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I seriously doubt the city would care about a kids lemonade stand.

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I don't know. They seem very interested about people renting out spare bedrooms on game weekends. CS has always been very very interested in what people are up to, what with rental house registration fees and all.

My girls decided to turn theirs into a real business a few years ago and set up for fairs/festivals & Events... They got their health dept license, tax id# and insurance and do quite well! I think it is great for kids to start early and sell lemonade or mow lawns to experience "Self employment". It pushes them to look at the bigger picture >> Costs, Time commitment, Prep, expenses, profit, profit margins, start up cap, customer service, communication, etc..
There was a 9 year old girl from Austin on Shark Tank about a week ago that started her business with Lemonade day... She is now partners with a Shark and going to take her product nation wide! My Girls started with Lemonade day as well and they have a goal this year of grossing $10k+ and I think they are going to do more than that. I know there are many more story's about kids using this kind of event as a stepping stone...

It's a slippery slope.....once we legalize lemonade, they're gonna want tea.....then once they get
tea they're gonna want coffee....then tha next thing ya know we have jittery caffeinated junkies
walking around the city.........

In College Station, any lemonade stand would have to be licensed and bonded by the city. The same rules that apply to food trucks here also apply to lemonade stands. So yes, its illegal for a kid to run a lemonade stand, except on "Lemonade Day".

Is anyone aware of the city actually coming down on little kids with a lemonade stand in the front yard? My experience has been quite the opposite, when the neighbor kids had one a CSPD officer and a fire engine stopped and purchased a glass. I really think this is a non issue.
Obviously an operation like the Find X's children have is quite a bit different but I am sure the city can tell the difference.

Hemp lemonade....$$$$

Just to clarify, the City of College Station has not and will not stop kids from having lemonade stands.

Colin Killian
Public Communications Manager
City of College Station

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Just to clarify, the City of College Station has not and will not stop kids from having lemonade stands.

Colin Killian
Public Communications Manager
City of College Station

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Where in the city code are they exempted? Or are you saying its a law to be ignored?

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Just to clarify, the City of College Station has not and will not stop kids from having lemonade stands.

Colin Killian
Public Communications Manager
City of College Station

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Where in the city code are they exempted? Or are you saying its a law to be ignored?

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lmao wow, kids, lemonade. pick your battles or something like that come to mind. just wow lmao

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Just to clarify, the City of College Station has not and will not stop kids from having lemonade stands.

Colin Killian
Public Communications Manager
City of College Station

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Where in the city code are they exempted? Or are you saying its a law to be ignored?

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That's what makes this board what it is, right there. .

The point is that, if a kid or parent was to do the research on their own through the CS books, they would find that the ordinances state that they can't open a stand without going through a major loops. There should be open and explicit exemptions clarifying this.

So what if Mr. Killian says they won't bother them because of it, it still means they could in the future using those same rules.

In a way, Mr. Killian is claiming prosecutorial discretion, but its still legally possible for a kid (& parent) to get fined/shut down for a lemonade stand if a future council or management changed their mood.

CS should amend the books to exempt kids, so there is no confusion or fear of punitive action.

OK, fair point.

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The point is that, if a kid or parent was to do the research on their own through the CS books, they would find that the ordinances state that they can't open a stand without going through a major loops. There should be open and explicit exemptions clarifying this.

So what if Mr. Killian says they won't bother them because of it, it still means they could in the future using those same rules.

In a way, Mr. Killian is claiming prosecutorial discretion, but its still legally possible for a kid (& parent) to get fined/shut down for a lemonade stand if a future council or management changed their mood.

CS should amend the books to exempt kids, so there is no confusion or fear of punitive action.

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I took it from the city official is that if a kid had a stand for a couple of days , there would be no issue. I am sure if they wanted to open all summer somewhere, they would I assumed need to obtain a permit since it is more of an actual business. (but you know what they say about assuming!!)

Good fair point and now maybe our city official can comment again and clarify.

I feel that if we make this law the business people and or mafia types from Houston will start flooding the streets with lemonade stands run by ' kids ' and start abusing the system. With no books to balance I cannot imagine the extremes this could get into.

Any websites or facebook pages for our local success stories?

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I feel that if we make this law the business people and or mafia types from Houston will start flooding the streets with lemonade stands run by ' kids ' and start abusing the system. With no books to balance I cannot imagine the extremes this could get into.

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Mafia-run lemonade stands?

You must be trolling.

Back in my day, I mowed lawns and did lemonade stands in Bryan to make money. Taught me the value of a dollar and hard work.

Technically, both of those jobs I did back then would be illegal today. It's how kids used to earn money. Now there's red tape and fines.

Oh and don't forget to celebrate Lemonade Freedom Day!

http://www.lemonadefreedom.com/