Health inspectors force 7-year-old girl to shut down lemonade stand

A 7-year-old girl was forced to stop selling lemonade by Oregon authorities.

Julie Murphy operated a lemonade stand at a community event called Last Thursday art fair in Portland, Oregon. However, because she violated the law and didn’t have a $120 temporary restaurant license, she was forced to close.

The photo shows Julie at her lemonade stand among other Last Thursday art fair vendors before she was shut down.

It turns out that Under the law, any lemonade stand, even one on your front lawn, must be licensed under state law.

One official said, "when you go to a public event and set up shop, you're suddenly engaging in commerce. The fact that you're small-scale I don't think is relevant."

By selling lemonade for 50 cents a glass she risked a fine of $500.

After the lemonade stand got squeezed out, the county’s top elected official, county Chairman Jeff Cogen, apologized for the sour treatment Julie got.

More here.