Selling lemonade from a front yard stand is often a child's first under-the-table job. But at least once a summer, we hear stories of government inspectors shutting some stands down, and for good reason: The mere existence of lemonade stands are illegal in 36 states unless their operator has a proper permit.
In Illinois, it IS legal and according to the website OK Whatever, it took New York until 2019 to make it legal for children under 16 to sell lemonade without a permit, which typically costs $30 a year.
Here are the lemonade-friendly states:
- Illinois
- New York
- California
- Nevada
- Utah
- Colorado
- North Dakota
- Nebraska
- Texas
- Missouri
- Louisiana
- Vermont
- Rhode Island
- Connecticut