Grovetown ordinance would prohibit unlicensed vendors

On any given Saturday morning, a variety of vendors temporarily set up in the Food Lion parking lot in Grovetown.

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None has received permission from the property owner, City Manager Shirley Beasley said.

If a proposed city ordinance is passed at Monday's City Council meeting, the vendors will need a transient vendor license to legally sell their wares.

"We did receive notice from the property owner that he did not wish anyone to set up on his property," Beasley said, adding that vendors are being notified by the Grovetown Department of Public Safety.

The ordinance would require anyone selling items for profit who doesn't own a business to have a transient vendor license and a current business license from a Georgia county. That includes merchants selling produce, pre-packaged foods, prepared foods, furniture, clothing and accessories, and arts and crafts in a residential or commercial location.

The ordinance would not affect those seeking a yard sale permit from the city.

Anyone selling produce or pre-packaged or prepared food also must produce a current food service permit from the Columbia County Health Department or the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

Beasley said vendors also need permission from the property owner and be in a commercial area.

The crowd in the Food Lion parking lot, which Beasley said has included residents holding yard sales from their vehicles, causes problems in the area.

"We've had citizens complain about the way it looks when they are going through the parking lot," Beasley said.

The parking lot gets congested, making it difficult for drivers to navigate. Motorists driving by on Horizon South Parkway often slow down to gawk at the vendors.

"It is getting worse and worse," Beasley said.

The ordinance is a way for city officials to govern what is sold and who sells it inside the city limits.

"They are no different than someone who has an established business; they are making a profit," Beasley said.

If passed, the ordinance would take effect immediately.