Barrow County, GA Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Under Barrow County Code § 89-187, any temporary event, including a festival, fair, carnival, rodeo or flea market, may only occur in a zoning district where such uses are permitted and only after the Planning and Community Development Department issues a permit. The subject property must be at least three acres. , excluding setup and teardown, unless the issued permit sets different hours, and amplified music cannot exceed 70 dB(A) or 10 dB(A) above ambient noise at the property line. Activity within an R-1, R-2 or R-3 district triggers a 500-foot setback from the property line; a 100-foot setback applies where the surrounding property is not zoned residential.

Attendance is capped at 1,000 people at any one time, counting hosts and workers, and the permit holder must turn away additional guests once that cap is reached. Organizers must hire two off-duty Barrow County Sheriff's deputies, with two more required once attendance passes 400 and two more again past 700, for a total of six deputies at a 900-person event. Applications go to Planning and Community Development at least 45 calendar days before the event date and must include a site plan, security and traffic plans, a $300,000 public liability policy naming the county as additional insured, and a signed hold-harmless agreement.

The Sheriff, Fire Marshal and Public Works Department each review the application before the planning director rules within 14 days; a denial or condition can be appealed in writing to the county manager within ten days. No property may hold more than four single-day permits a year, or more than one multi-day permit lasting up to seven consecutive days, and a permit never authorizes the site to operate as a concert venue.