Arlington, TX Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

UDC Sec. 3.4.5, Supplemental Temporary Use Standards, Subsection A, Carnival, Circus, or Amusement Ride, revised by Ordinance No. 26-019, splits Arlington's temporary-event standards into two district groups. In the HC, FBZ-Core, DT-FBZ-Gateway, BP, NMU, and RMU districts: "The hours of operation and location shall be subject to approval by the City Council as part of any specific use permit approval," the Council "may approve a specific use permit not to exceed two years," but "the use may not operate more than twice in a 12-month period, nor may operations occur for more than eight consecutive days at a time," and "a special event/temporary outdoor event permit shall be obtained from the Building Official prior to beginning operations." In the CC, GC, LI, FBZ-CMU, and IM districts, the City Council specific-use-permit step drops out, but the twice-per-12-months frequency cap, the eight-consecutive-day limit, and the Building Official's special event/temporary outdoor event permit still apply.

Because the temporary-use table this subsection sits under, Table 3.4-2, governs non-residential and mixed-use zoning districts, a carnival, circus, festival midway, or similar amusement-ride event proposed anywhere else, most residential zoning, is not authorized under this standard at all and would need a different approval path.