New York City is taking a long-overdue step toward addressing one of the biggest challenges facing small businesses: excessive fines and burdensome regulations. In January, Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed Executive Order 11, launching a citywide effort to inventory, evaluate, and ultimately reduce or eliminate unnecessary fines and fees that disproportionately impact small businesses.

For too long, our businesses have faced a complex and punitive system—where minor or technical violations can result in outsized penalties that strain already tight margins. This Executive Order acknowledges that reality and creates a clear roadmap for reform, requiring agencies to identify reductions within 90 days and propose deeper structural changes in the months ahead.

The Greenwich Village Chelsea Chamber of Commerce strongly supports this initiative. We have consistently advocated for a more balanced approach—one that prioritizes education and compliance over punishment—and this action signals meaningful progress in that direction.

As this process moves forward, GVCCC will actively engage with City agencies and policymakers to ensure that:

• Small business voices are heard and centered

• Reductions in fines are real, meaningful, and widely felt

• Any new framework promotes fairness, clarity, and economic vitality
  

We want to hear directly from you. If fines or fees have impacted your business, we encourage you to share your experience with us. Your input will help strengthen our advocacy and ensure that real-world impacts are reflected in the City’s final recommendations. To weigh-in contact: execdirector@villagechelsea.com