SBS Launches Citywide Outreach Blitz to Promote New Business Owner Bill of Rights

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 2, 2026

SBS LAUNCHES CITYWIDE OUTREACH BLITZ TO PROMOTE NEW BUSINESS OWNER BILL OF RIGHTS

Nearly 700 Small Businesses Reached on First Day Alone, Surpassing Total Number of 2025 Annual Bill of Rights Survey Responses

Five-Borough Campaign Will Familiarize Small Business Owners with Reforms from Mayor's Executive Order 18

NEW YORK - Yesterday, the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) launched a five-borough outreach campaign to promote New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's updated Business Owner Bill of Rights established under Executive Order 18. The outreach campaign will introduce and familiarize small business owners with the updated Business Owner Bill of Rights, which includes a survey link for businesses to provide their feedback following inspections and other interactions with city agencies. Beginning on October 1st, 2026, city inspectors will be required to provide a physical copy of the Business Owner Bill of Rights to both brick-and-mortar businesses and street vendors at the onset of inspections and require the Bill of Rights to be posted at New York City service centers. SBS Outreach connected with nearly 700 small businesses on the first day of the campaign.

"For too long, the relationship between our city's small businesses and their government has been characterized as adversarial, and even confrontational - today, that changes," said SBS Commissioner Kenny Minaya. "Mayor Mamdani's Executive Order 18 marked a culture shift, and a major turning point in how the city interacts with its small businesses. SBS is proud to lead this citywide campaign in September ahead of our sister agencies promoting these rights starting October, ensuring that all small businesses are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve."

The Business Owner Bill of Rights is a foundational document that protects business owners from mistreatment and clearly states what owners can expect from city government during inspections. The first version of the Business Owner Bill of Rights existed primarily as an online document which, according to an SBS survey in 2025, just nine percent of city businesses even knew existed. Under Executive Order 18, the Business Owner Bill of Rights will be distributed as a physical document to all businesses and includes a customer satisfaction survey to both address customer service issues and inform small business reforms.

Key rights outlined in the Business Owner Bill or Rights include:

• The right to access the information, tools, resources and opportunities needed for your business to compete and grow in New York City;
• The right to access information in languages other than English;
• The right to consistent and fair inspections and enforcement of agency rules;
• The right to respectful and professional treatment by a knowledgeable New York City worker who can show ID when requested;
• The right to clear guidance and education to help correct issues before penalties are levied, whenever possible;
• The right to clear explanations of violations, corrective steps and options to contest or appeal them.

The full text of the Business Owner Bill of Rights can be found online.

"Small business owners should never have to navigate in the dark. Good government meets people where they are, and that means making sure our entrepreneurs know their rights, understand what to expect, and have the tools to advocate for themselves," said New York City Council Member and Chair of the Committee on Small Business Shanel Thomas-Henry. "The updated Business Owner Bill of Rights is an important step toward building a government that works in partnership with our small businesses and I'm honored to be a part of this initiative."

"Small business owners should be able to spend their time growing their businesses, serving their customers, and creating jobs, not struggling to navigate City government," said New York City Council Member and Chair of the Committee on Economic Development Virginia Maloney. "The Business Owner Bill of Rights sets a clear expectation: government should work for you! Business owners deserve fair and consistent enforcement, clear guidance on how to comply with the rules, and respectful treatment when they interact with city agencies. Getting these rights directly into the hands of businesses across all five boroughs is an important step toward making New York City the best place to start and grow a business."

"I am proud to see our city government - including our mayor and the SBS team - taking proactive steps towards supporting and informing small business owners," said New York City Council Member Alexa Avilés. "Commissioner Minaya is taking the time to join me in Sunset Park to share the new Business Owner Bill of Rights with our neighborhood. This demonstrates a true culture shift in how we're engaging our city's diverse communities. I want my neighbors to feel welcomed into conversation with our local government and equipped to uphold their rights as small business owners. What better way to start that process than to spread the word together and to survey what's happening on the ground? I look forward to all the important conversations that will come as a result of this new resource."

"Small businesses are the backbone of our neighborhoods, and they deserve a city government that treats them as partners in our shared success," said New York City Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers. "The updated Business Owner Bill of Rights is an important step toward ensuring that business owners and street vendors understand their rights, have clear information about the inspection process, and are treated fairly and respectfully when interacting with city agencies. I commend SBS for bringing this information directly into communities across all five boroughs and for creating additional opportunities for business owners to make their voices heard."

"We want to hear from you!" said New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif. "This outreach campaign is an incredible opportunity for small business owners to share the strengths and weaknesses of the ways that local government communicates services and conducts inspection processes. This feedback is vital to ensuring we understand what's going right and that we course-correct where gaps exist."

"Small businesses are at the heart of our neighborhoods, and it is important that we continue finding ways to make city resources more accessible to the people who keep them running," said New York City Council Member Kamillah Hanks. "The Business Owner Bill of Rights helps ensure that business owners have clear information about their rights, the inspection process, and the resources available to them. I appreciate SBS for bringing this outreach directly into our district's business corridors, connecting with owners and helping ensure they have the information and support they need to grow and succeed."

"The Business Owner Bill of Rights covers the full life of a business in this city: the right to the information, tools and opportunities you need to grow, the right to timely and coordinated support that respects your time, the right to clear rules and fair inspections across agencies, the right to guidance that helps you correct an issue before a penalty is levied, the right to understand a violation and how to contest it, the right to all of it in the language you speak, and the right to say when the city gets it wrong without fear of retaliation," said New York City Council Member Yusef Salaam. "Harlem's small businesses have been holding this community down for generations, and they deserve a city that meets them with that standard from the day they open their doors."

"In my district, small businesses have given many families, including immigrant families, the chance to create a steady income stream while enhancing the neighborhoods they live in - but they face many obstacles, and as an immigrant myself, I know their struggles," said New York City Council Member Susan Zhuang. "Recently, I was proud to pass legislation that makes it easier for new businesses to get started by requiring coordination among city agencies. I was also proud to pass legislation addressing an onerous requirement involving security grilles. Regulations we impose on businesses must be practical, reasonable, and responsive to the realities that small businesses face. I will continue fighting to make city government more accessible, practical, and supportive of the entrepreneurs who are investing in our neighborhoods and building our city's future."

About the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS)
SBS helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs. For more information on all SBS services, go to nyc.gov/sbs, call 888-SBS-4NYC, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.