Playa del Carmen to Revoke Up to 1,800 Street Vendor Permits

Playa del Carmen, Quintana Roo — Up to 1,800 street vendors in Playa del Carmen will lose their permits after failing to complete a regularization process within the city’s deadline, officials announced.

Julián Lara, director of Inspection and Collection, said the program achieved only 45% progress among an estimated 3,200 registered permits. “Anyone who hasn’t come forward this month shows they’re not interested, especially with a 95% discount available,” he said.

The city offered discounts of up to 95% on accumulated debts from previous years to encourage compliance, but more than half of vendors did not complete the paperwork.

Lara explained that regulations require payments within the first 10 days of each month to keep permits active. Those who fail to pay will be automatically removed from the registry.

Starting in May, authorities will begin issuing notifications and conducting stricter enforcement operations, including direct confiscations, to curb the growth of informal street vending. Exceptions may be made for people in vulnerable situations.