St. Petersburg to Tighten Control Over Private Kiosks

St. Petersburg authorities will receive additional tools for controlling trade kiosks and pavilions located on private landowners« properties. Governor Alexander Beglov spoke about the corresponding legislative changes on January 28, commenting on the bill adopted by the State Duma on January 27.

The document, which will come into force on January 1, 2026, introduces amendments to the federal law on state regulation of trade activities. The St. Petersburg government was one of the initiators of this legislative initiative.

According to Beglov, the city regularly faces situations where kiosks on private territories are installed in violation of sanitary norms, improvement rules, and land use regulations. «This caused justified dissatisfaction among residents,» emphasized the governor.

The innovation will provide regional administrations with mechanisms for regulating the placement of non-stationary trade objects, including those that are privately owned. In St. Petersburg, according to market participants« estimates, there are about 2,000 such plots where several thousand pavilions and kiosks are located.

The governor reminded that in 2025, 3,303 places that did not comply with legislation were excluded from the city«s scheme for placing non-stationary trade objects. At the same time, 1,597 objects meeting the established conditions retained the opportunity to operate.

Simultaneously, oversight in this sphere is being strengthened. In 2025, illegally placed trade objects were removed from 125 city land plots. With the help of the artificial intelligence system «Gorodovoy» (City Guard), more than 60 violations on private lands were identified. Based on inspection results, fines totaling over 3 million rubles (approximately $30,000 at current rates) were imposed.

Alexander Beglov stated that St. Petersburg authorities will apply the federal law taking into account city-specific characteristics and law enforcement practice. «We will continue comprehensive work to reduce the number of illegal trade objects and improve the quality of the urban environment,» he summarized.