City officials say a larger NYC BEST team has helped more than 3,000 businesses with licenses and permits, while dozens of proposed rule changes remain under review.
By David LaGuerre | Mohawk Valley Voice | November 6, 2026
New York City has expanded the team that helps small businesses deal with licenses, permits and inspections, adding 17 advisers and bringing its total staff to 30, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office announced November 5.
The Department of Small Business Services, or SBS, says its New York City Business Express Service Team has helped more than 3,000 businesses obtain licenses and navigate permitting since the administration began. That total includes 97 businesses opening for the first time.
The announcement also outlines more than 50 recommended changes to permits, paperwork and fines. Those recommendations are proposals, not a list of 50 rules that have already been removed. City Hall did not provide a complete reform list, a timetable for each change or a dollar figure for savings to owners.
More staff to help owners navigate city rules
NYC BEST is designed to give owners a single point of contact when their questions involve multiple city agencies. SBS says the service can help owners get licenses and permits faster and avoid or reduce fines and violations. Its business-services website says assistance is available in multiple languages.
City Hall said every adviser has received training on the requirements of key enforcement agencies. The new hires more than doubled the team’s size.
“Small business owners already work long hours on thin margins. They should not have to spend those hours navigating City bureaucracy or paying fines that have nothing to do with making their business better,” Mamdani said in the announcement.
The assistance totals are the city’s account of its work. They do not establish that each business received every permit it requested or that citywide approval times have fallen by a particular amount. The release gives no before-and-after measure of how long applications take.
Agencies begin quarterly reform meetings
Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice Julie Su and SBS Commissioner Kenny Minaya recently held the first quarterly agency meeting under Executive Order 18. City Hall described the order as an effort to speed licensing and permitting reforms and improve service to small businesses.
The meeting brought together agencies whose responsibilities can overlap when an owner is trying to open or expand. Su said owners should be able to get a clear answer regardless of which agency they call.
Minaya said advocates had brought concerns they hear from business owners to the agencies that could address them. City Hall plans to continue reviewing recommendations under the executive order and through its Committee on Government Efficiency.
The release also says SBS advocated for Int. 0655, which City Hall described as making roadway outdoor dining permanent and year-round. Restaurant operators should check the current city program rules for their own location rather than treat the announcement as permission to install or expand an outdoor dining area.
What else the city reported
Alongside its licensing work, SBS reported several other measures of activity since the administration began:
- More than $8.4 million in grants to community-based organizations serving more than 20,000 small businesses across the five boroughs.
- Direct delivery of an updated Business Owner Bill of Rights to more than 4,000 businesses.
- Visits by the agency’s mobile unit to 40 events, reaching more than 1,300 New Yorkers.
The grant figure describes money awarded to community organizations. The release does not announce a new $8.4 million grant application round for individual business owners.
Patrick Hall of Elan Flowers, quoted in the release, said owners face agencies focused on separate requirements while costs add up. He said he hoped the task force would combine what agencies hear from businesses and bring that information to policymakers who can change the rules.
Where to find help and what applies locally
Business owners with New York City questions can start with the SBS business-services page or call its published hotline, 888-727-4692. The site links to a licensing and permit finder, a contact form and the Business Owner Bill of Rights. Owners can ask which agency handles a specific requirement and what documents are needed before submitting an application.
For Mohawk Valley readers, this is a New York City program. The announcement does not extend NYC BEST services to Utica or change licensing requirements in Oneida or Herkimer counties. A business with operations in both regions should keep the requirements for each location separate.
The effort is part of a broader city push to improve public services. Voice previously reported on Pilot City’s partnerships between municipal agencies and university researchers. Whether the small-business reforms deliver faster approvals will require further reporting beyond the activity counts released this week.
Sources
NYC Mayor’s Office: November 5 small-business announcement; NYC Small Business Services: business assistance and contact information.
Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration for Mohawk Valley Voice. Fictional flower-shop scene, not a photograph of NYC BEST staff or a participating business.