Restrictive Vendor Guidelines Lifted On Moorestown Events

MOORESTOWN, NJ — With three COVID-19 vaccines approved for use and a fourth one possibly coming soon, Moorestown residents will soon be looking at getting back to normal.

This means going outside for some fun, and legislation passed Monday night is aimed at making it easier to make that fun available.

Moorestown Council unanimously approved a proposed ordinance that clarifies requirements for peddlers, solicitors, transient vendors and community event vendors to obtain a permit in the township.

The gist of the proposal is that it removes vendors and one-day community events from this section after some complained of the lengthy process they have to go through for a single day.

Community events will get their own set of rules in an ordinance that will likely be introduced at the April 12 meeting, Mayor Nicole Gillespie said.

To hold events, organizers will need insurance, and they have to sign a hold harmless agreement, officials said. However, they won't need to apply for eligibility to the chief of police at least 20 days before beginning to conduct business, as transient vendors have been required to do since 2019.

“I’m glad we’re moving along with this,” Councilman Quinton Law said. “This is good for the community as we move out of the pandemic.”

“I support anything that eases restrictions on events,” Councilman Jake Van Dyken said. “Hopefully, this invites more vendors at our events, and more events in general.”

Events season in Moorestown will kick off with the third annual Moorestown Paddle Boad/Kayak Race and Family Festival at Strawbridge Lake on June 12, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is scheduled to include vendors and food trucks, and is the first major event scheduled in Moorestown since the pandemic began.

“Our events have been successful, but the red tape was holding them back,” Councilman Dave Zipin said. “Hopefully this addresses them sufficiently, and we have more participants and they’re more successful.”

Gillespie reiterated that the guidelines remain in place for peddlers, solicitors and transient vendors that operate in Moorestown on a regular basis.

This includes a thorough background check by the police department of the transient vendors and anyone working with them.

The application fee is $75, and the police chief has up to 15 days to tell transient vendors if they are deemed eligible. Vendors told the MBA they felt the background check is unnecessary. Read more here: Moorestown Council Approves Changes To Transient Vendors Law