ANNAPOLIS, Md. — A new proposal in Annapolis could make life easier for Maryland children who want to sell lemonade during the summer.
Maryland delegates Neil Parrott and Steve Johnson have pre-filed a bill in the Maryland statehouse that would stop towns and counties from adopting and enforcing laws that ban or regulate the sell of lemonade by children on private property.
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There have been several instances across the country where lemonade stands run by children have been shut down because they have not followed local licensing and permitting laws.
In 2011, the parents of a group of Bethesda children selling lemonade outside the US Open golf tournament were fined $500 after a Montgomery County codes inspector discovered they did not have a vendors license.
Montgomery County later chose to waive that fine.
The new Maryland lemonade bill is similar to recent proposals made in other states and jurisdictions.
In July, D.C. Councilmember Brandon Todd introduced the Lemonade Stand Amendment Act to the D.C. Council. The legislation would exempt minors from having to acquire a mandatory business license to set up a lemonade stand.
The effort to legalize lemonade stands across the country has received support from the lemonade brand "Country Time Lemonade", which even set up a website that informs readers how to fight for lemonade friendly laws in their respective states.
If the Maryland lemonade proposal were to pass, it would go into effect Oct. 1, 2020.
The latest session of the Maryland General Assembly will convene in Annapolis on Jan. 8.