Santa Maria, CA Special Events & Permits: Block Party Permits (2026)

09, the authority to shut down a portion of any City street for a block party, parade, or other neighborhood celebration rests with the City Manager or a designee, acting under Vehicle Code Section 21101(e). That authority cannot be exercised alone: the ordinance requires the "written concurrence" of three department heads before a street can close, namely the Director of Public Works, the Fire Chief and the Chief of Police. State highways are carved out entirely; the City Manager has no authority to close a State highway under this section, so an event that touches Highway 135 or 166 needs a Caltrans encroachment permit instead of, or in addition to, the City process.

The standard the City Manager applies is safety: the closure must be "necessary for the safety and protection of persons who are to use that portion of the street during the temporary closing," which is the language reviewers use to weigh whether a residential block party justifies rerouting traffic. 01(n) backs it up on the parking side: vehicles cannot park on any street portion that has been temporarily closed for the celebration, giving the Police Department a parking-enforcement tool to keep the closed block clear for the event. The ordinance traces to Ordinance 84-1085, effective November 15, 1984, and has not been substantively amended since.