The Los Cabos municipal government is running permanent inspection patrols targeting unlicensed street vendors in the resort city’s busiest tourist areas, including El Médano beach and the Cabo San Lucas Marina. The Fiscal Inspection Department, led by Manuel Barajas Gerardo, is verifying commercial permits and removing vendors who lack authorization.
The crackdown is part of an ongoing effort that began earlier this year. When patrols first launched in January 2026, inspectors found roughly 300 informal merchants operating without permits in these high-traffic zones. That number has since dropped to around 100, according to the most recent municipal figures.
Inspectors Also Tracking Minors Working as Vendors
Beyond permit enforcement, inspectors are scanning for minors engaged in informal commercial activity. Authorities have detected approximately 40 minors working as street vendors across tourist hotspots. Officials say the problem intensifies during school vacation periods. Flagged cases are referred to child protection authorities.
The municipality is also bringing in additional personnel from San José del Cabo to reinforce operations on El Médano specifically. The patrols cover the Marina boardwalk, Plaza Amelia Wilkes, and the pedestrian corridor along the beach.
Full Vendor Census and Permit Overhaul Underway
Alongside the enforcement patrols, Los Cabos is conducting a full census to update its commercial permit registry. The city currently recognizes 698 registered street vendors who hold valid permits and have passed background checks. The goal is to protect those licensed operators from being undercut by unlicensed competitors.
The effort has backing from the Los Cabos Coordinating Council (CCC) and the National Port System Administration (Asipona), which oversees the Marina as a federal facility. Earlier this year, the CCC requested the deployment of 12 dedicated fiscal inspectors for the Marina and El Médano zones. Julio Castillo Gómez, CCC president, noted that inspectors had found at least 20 semi-permanent stalls operating directly on the Marina walkways without legal permits.
The municipality has described the patrols as 24/7 operations with no set end date. This story was first reported by the Los Cabos municipal government via loscabos.gob.mx.