File #: Int 1499-2025    Version: * Name: Containment, labeling, and removal of shopping carts.
Type: Introduction Status: Committee
Committee: Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection
On agenda: 12/4/2025
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the containment, labeling, and removal of shopping carts
Sponsors: Althea V. Stevens
Council Member Sponsors: 1
Summary: This bill would require businesses that provide shopping carts to their customers to permanently affix a tag to their shopping carts that identifies the owner’s name, store address and phone number or e-mail. It would also require these businesses to implement a shopping cart containment measure approved by the Commissioner of Consumer and Worker and Protection. Failure to add the required tag or adopt a shopping cart containment measure would subject the business to a $100 civil penalty per cart. The Department of Sanitation would be required to contact shopping cart owners to retrieve shopping carts it has removed from the streets and impose a civil penalty of $100 for each shopping cart that is not retrieved within 48 hours of notice.
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 1499, 2. Int. No. 1499, 3. Memorandum in Support, 4. December 4, 2025 - Stated Meeting Agenda

Int. No. 1499

 

By Council Member Stevens

 

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to the containment, labeling, and removal of shopping carts

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1. Chapter 4 of title 20 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new subchapter 6 to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER 6

SHOPPING CARTS

§ 20-676 Shopping cart containment and labeling. a. Beginning 270 days after the effective date of the local law that added this section, no business shall make shopping carts available for use by customers unless:

1. Each shopping cart has a sign or tag permanently affixed to it that displays the name of the business that owns the cart and the address and phone number or e-mail of such business.

2. The business implements at least one of the containment measures approved by the commissioner pursuant to subdivision b of this section.

b. No later than 90 days after the effective date of the local law that added this section, the commissioner shall establish a list of acceptable containment measures designed to keep shopping carts on the premises of the business making them available for consumer use, which shall include, but need not be limited to, disabling devices installed and maintained on carts, bollards, or physical barriers placed on shopping carts. The commissioner shall only approve containment measures that use a technology or physical obstacle. A security deposit system is not an acceptable shopping cart containment measure.

c. A business that does not comply with the provisions of this section shall be subject to a civil penalty of $100 for each shopping cart without a sign or tag permanently affixed and each shopping cart that is not secured by an approved shopping cart containment measure. 

§ 2. Chapter 1 of title 16 the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 16-128.1 to read as follows:

§ 16-128.1 Removal of shopping carts. a. When the department removes a shopping cart and the identity of the owner is ascertainable, the commissioner shall notify the owner of the removal of the shopping carts and how to redeem the shopping cart.

b. The owner shall redeem the shopping cart within 48 hours after notification, and failure to do so shall be punishable by a civil penalty of $100.

§ 3. This local law takes effect immediately.

RL

LS #20183

11/25/2025 12:143 PM