ALTON – Alton officials recently passed new regulations on sidewalk pop up shops in an effort to prevent them from undermining the city’s current businesses.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
City Council members on Aug. 26, 2026 unanimously passed a resolution to introduce an ordinance allowing sidewalk pop up shops in the City of Alton. The item will return in ordinance form for a first reading and final vote at future meetings.
Under the new regulations, those looking to operate a sidewalk pop up shop must first obtain a special event permit, which is valid for up to 15 days in a calendar year. Certain restrictions have also been imposed on where these pop up shops can be located and how they can display merchandise.
Sidewalk pop up shops cannot operate directly in front of a building, and operators must have written permission from the adjacent property owners to apply for a permit. These shops are also only allowed within certain zoning districts, including C-2 (General Commercial), C-4 (Downtown Commercial) and MR (Marina Recreation).
Goods, wares and merchandise can only displayed on sidewalks where there is “no commercial frontage,” which includes parking lots, vacant lots and parks. City Council Coordinator Beth Bear previously said these measures are aimed at protecting the city’s “brick and mortar” businesses.
“Sidewalk sales are allowed within our code, but typically it’s the business themselves that would have a sale in front of their own property,” Bear previously said. “What we don’t want to do is undermine our traditional brick and mortar businesses by allowing someone else to pop up in front of them full stop.”
A full recording of the Aug. 26, 2026 Alton City Council meeting is available at the top of this story or on Riverbender.com/video.
