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Rio de Janeiro City Hall launches Zero Tolerance Program against the illegal exploitation of public space on the city's coastline.
Published on 07/07/2026 - 11:23 | Updated on 09/07/2026 - 17:37
A new permanent urban planning policy begins on July 16th in Leme, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon. The mayor of Rio, Eduardo Cavaliere, announced this Tuesday (July 7th) the creation of the Zero Tolerance Program against the Irregular Exploitation of Public Space. The new permanent urban planning policy will be implemented along the Leme, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon beachfront, with daily actions to reclaim public spaces, combat unauthorized activities, protect those working within the law, and prevent the reoccupation of the inspected areas. The operation will begin on July 16th.
"The goal is to combat the illegal exploitation of public space by organized crime. Selling products of illegal origin or renting equipment of criminal origin is a crime. The message is that, from the date this operation begins, these people should not attempt to occupy these spaces illegally, because there will be zero tolerance. When you don't have legal authorization, you cannot carry out any economic activity in public space," stated the mayor.
Coordinated by the Municipal Secretariat of Public Order (Seop), the program will be based on continuous territorial occupation, visible patrolling, and integrated surveillance, using monitoring technologies.
— In addition to territorial control, we will have several intelligence operations with the Civil Police and the Military Police. Adding up Leme, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon, we have already identified more than a thousand illegally operating sales points. We will have daily inspections with visible patrols, access control points, seizures of irregular merchandise, and crackdowns on clandestine warehouses — explained the Municipal Secretary of Public Order, Marcus Belchior.
The program will have 69 strategic monitoring points and will employ 160 agents per shift, working 12-hour days, totaling 320 agents mobilized daily. Drones and cameras from the Rio de Janeiro City Hall's Operations and Resilience Center will be used to expand monitoring and support the teams in the field.
The actions will be planned in operational cycles, with standardized protocols, performance indicators, and continuous evaluation of results. The objective is to ensure the regular use of public spaces, guarantee the free movement of pedestrians, preserve urban mobility and public property, strengthen tourism, and reduce factors that may favor the commission of crimes.
The Secretary of Public Security for the state of Rio de Janeiro, Victor Santos, and the Secretary of the Institutional Security Office (GSI), Roberto Leão, participated in the launch, which took place at the Operations and Resilience Center (COR), and reinforced the importance of the program in combating organized crime.
"This program comes at a good time, because we cannot allow organized crime to exploit people so that they carry out commercial activities illegally," said Secretary Victor Santos.
Investigation and intelligence
The actions were supported by intelligence reports produced by Seop, information from security forces, and complaints forwarded through the 1746 hotline and the anonymous tip line. Surveys conducted by the City Hall have already identified approximately 22 illegal storage facilities that may be linked to the storage, supply, and collection of funds from unauthorized businesses. This information was shared with the State Secretariat of Public Security and the Institutional Security Office of the State Government to support inspection and investigation efforts.
The irregular exploitation of public space involves practices such as illegally charging for the use of sales points, financially exploiting street vendors, the clandestine sale and rental of stalls, tents, storage facilities and equipment, as well as the sale of goods without proven origin and the maintenance of a self-sufficient supply logistics system.
According to estimates from the City Hall, the irregular structure brings together around a thousand street vendors and generates approximately R$ 100 million per year just from the clandestine rental of spaces, storage areas, and equipment.
The fight against these activities seeks to dismantle the structures that support the illegal exploitation of public space and to disrupt funding sources and logistics chains associated with organized crime.
Permanent monitoring
Among the planned actions are daily inspections of illegal street vendors, seizure of goods without proven origin, combating clandestine warehouses and supply logistics, removal of irregular structures and equipment, and clearing public areas.
Carts, handcarts, stalls, furniture, human-powered vehicles, and other equipment used in economic activities will also be inspected.
According to the decree establishing the program, the competent authorities may retain or seize goods when there is no valid tax document proving their lawful origin. Restitution will depend on proof of ownership, the legality of the goods or equipment, and compliance with the requirements stipulated in municipal legislation, respecting the administrative process.
The area covered by the program includes the beach, boardwalks, public walkways, bike paths, squares, flowerbeds, recreational areas, public facilities, and other areas between the buildings and the sea.
Protection for licensed street vendors
The Zero Tolerance Program also prioritizes protecting legally authorized vendors, who will be able to continue working in accordance with municipal regulations. Before the start of the actions, the Municipal Secretariat for Public Order (Seop) will issue a Guidance Notice to street vendors and others responsible for economic activities in the area, with information about municipal regulations and restrictions on the use of public space.
The City Hall will guarantee adequate spaces for legalized activities, such as the Night Market and the Copacabana Arts and Crafts Fair, in addition to two properties intended for the establishment of legalized warehouses in the region.
Job openings and professional training
Workers who wish to leave the informal sector may be referred to Oportunidades Cariocas (https://pref.rio/oportunidadescariocas), the city hall's portal that offers guidance, professional training, productive inclusion, job openings, and access to other city hall programs.
The initiative seeks to expand legal employment opportunities, reduce informality, and offer alternative income-generating options. In the last five years, 393,4 formal jobs have been created in the city, according to data from the General Registry of Employed and Unemployed Workers (Caged) of the Ministry of Labor and Employment.
Permanent presence of public authorities
The operation follows methodologies adopted in enforcement actions carried out in Arpoador, Campo Grande, Saara, Uruguaiana and, more recently, Lapa. The model combines a permanent presence of public authorities, a prompt response to irregularities, and prevention of the reoccupation of the inspected spaces.
In addition to monitoring illegal commerce, Seop agents will continue to support other municipal agencies in verifying operating licenses, maintaining public areas, and assisting homeless individuals, in conjunction with the Social Assistance Secretariat.
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