Chicago City Council Bans Horse-Drawn Carriages
The 46-to-4 vote forbids the operation of carriages for hire within the city. | Photo: iStock
Horse-drawn carriages will disappear from Chicago streets next year after lawmakers voted 46 to 4 to ban them. The vote took place April 24, 2020.

Sponsored by aldermen Brendan Reilly and Brian Hopkins, ordinance SO2019-4125 amended the Chicago Municipal Code to prohibit the use of horse-drawn carriages in the city and forbid anyone from operating a horse-drawn carriage for hire. The measure also forbids the Commissioner of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection from issuing or renewing licenses beginning Jan. 1, 2021.

In recent years, proponents of the ban made several unsuccessful attempts to convince lawmakers to outlaw the carriages from city streets on grounds that increased traffic and reduced air quality threatened the welfare of the animals used in the carriage trade.

Current licenses would remain in effect until Jan. 1, 2021

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