Anaheim, CA Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- AMC § 18.38.135
- Trigger size
- 35,000+ persons, 2+ City venues
- Where it applies
- Arena, Convention Center, Stadium Districts only
- Hotel threshold
- 500+ room peak block citywide
- No permit consequence
- Declared a public nuisance
Summary
Anaheim's local answer to a street-fair ordinance is the Festival Permit, but it only reaches huge events: gatherings expected to draw 35,000-plus people to two or more of the Arena, Convention Center or Stadium Districts. Holding one there without a permit is a declared public nuisance.
.0205 Festival. An event or other function that is expected to draw a total of thirty-five thousand (35,000) or more persons to two (2) or more City venues within the Festival Districts, for two or more public event days and will generate a peak hotel room block, within the City of Anaheim of at least five hundred (500) rooms. ... .0301 It shall be unlawful for any person or entity to hold, conduct or operate, within the Festival Districts, a festival without having a valid permit issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 18.38.135. .0302 The holding or conducting of any event or activity subject to the provisions of this section without a valid permit issued therefore, pursuant to the provisions of this section, is declared a public nuisance.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-28: Code: Supplement contains: Local legislation current through Ord. 6627, passed 8-11-2026 | Zoning: Local legislation current through Ord. 6627, passed 8-11-2026).
Full Breakdown
135 does not regulate small neighborhood street fairs; it targets the scale of event that only Anaheim's tourism corridor sees. A 'festival' is defined as an event expected to draw a total of 35,000 or more persons to two or more City venues, meaning the Anaheim Convention Center, the Honda Center or Angel Stadium, within the Festival Districts, running two or more public event days and generating a peak hotel room block of at least 500 rooms citywide. The Festival Districts themselves are the specific areas mapped in City Council Resolution No.
2010-025 as the Arena District, Convention Center District and Stadium District. Inside those boundaries, holding, conducting or operating a festival without a valid permit is unlawful, and the ordinance goes further than a typical permit requirement: doing so is expressly declared a public nuisance, a designation that opens the door to abatement remedies beyond an ordinary citation. The permit process is deliberately comprehensive. 03, all coordinated through one comprehensive review by the City. Ticket resale at the Honda Center or Angel Stadium during the festival period is likewise only permitted in locations and hours the City approves as part of that permit.
Violations & Fines
Conducting a qualifying festival in the Arena, Convention Center or Stadium District without a valid festival permit is expressly declared a public nuisance under Section 18.38.135.030, exposing the organizer to nuisance abatement in addition to prosecution as a misdemeanor under the citywide penalty clause, AMC Section 1.01.370, which carries up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail per day of violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Anaheim require a permit for every street fair or festival?
What counts as a 'City venue' under Anaheim's festival permit rule?
What happens if a large event runs in the Festival Districts without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Anaheim
California rules heatmap·Compare Anaheim to another location·View the California special events & permits overview
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