Georgia General Assembly legalizes lemonade stands

Who knew a kid in Georgia is supposed to have a permit to set up a lemonade stand at the end of their driveway?

That won’t be the case come July 1, however, thanks to the General Assembly.

Gov. Brian Kemp signed Senate Bill 55 on Wednesday, a bipartisan measure that will allow Georgians under age 18 to sell non-consumable goods, pre-packaged food items and non-alcoholic beverages on private property without requiring a permit or license or paying a tax. The one caveat is the business must earn no more than $5,000 in a calendar year.

“The Lemonade Stand Act represents a bipartisan effort to support youth education, empowerment and entrepreneurship,” said state Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, the bill’s chief sponsor.

“Further, the Lemonade Stand Act supports parents by ensuring they are not in a position of having to choose between the hassle and cost of permits, licenses and taxes, looking the other way, or just denying their children the opportunity to engage in this long-standing American tradition.”

An often divided General Assembly overwhelmingly approved such a feelgood measure. The bill’s cosponsors included Senate President Pro Tempore John Kennedy, R-Macon, and Senate Minority Leader Gloria Butler, D-Stone Mountain.