New Rochelle, NY Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)

Section 224-7 of Chapter 224 (Parks) makes it unlawful to "expose any article, food, or beverages for sale or exhibition, nor perform any personal service for hire, in any park or parkway except under a permit to be issued by the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation." The permit itself has to "set forth the term, location, hours of operation, and fee for such permit, together with such other terms and conditions as shall be established by the Commissioner," so the specifics of any given vending, exhibition, or service permit, including cost and duration, are set case by case by the Commissioner rather than fixed in the code.

The section, last amended October 21, 2004 by Ordinance No. 219-2004, adds a second gate for itinerant vendors: anyone who qualifies as an itinerant vendor under § 235-1 cannot get a § 224-7 park permit without first holding a separate itinerant vendor license under Chapter 235. Related park gatherings are addressed nearby: § 224-6 bars alcohol in any city park, playground or ball field, but exempts "any person or persons attending a picnic, gathering or any other affair in any public park...for which a permit has been duly issued," confirming that reserving a park for a private gathering also runs through the permit system.

Section 224-17 backs this up by authorizing the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation, subject to City Manager approval, to "adopt rules and regulations as he or she may deem necessary...for the proper use of City parks and recreational facilities," and makes violating those rules a chapter offense. Violating Chapter 224, including operating without a required § 224-7 permit, is punishable under § 224-20 by a fine of not more than $250 or imprisonment of not more than 15 days, or both.