Bellevue, WA Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Minimum vendors to trigger license
- 15 vendors
- Max event length
- 10 consecutive calendar days
- License fee
- $5.00/vendor/day, $40 cap
- Late payment penalty
- 10% fee plus 12%/yr interest
- Fee remitted to city
- 3 days before event start
- Appeal body
- City hearing examiner
Summary
Any promoter running a Bellevue trade show, festival, fair, or similar event with 15 or more vendors must hold a temporary special event license. Licenses run up to 10 consecutive days, cost $5 per vendor per day (capped at $40 per vendor), and unpaid fees draw a 10 percent penalty plus 12 percent annual interest.
It is unlawful for any person, group of persons, partnership, association, corporation, or any other type of business entity to act as a promoter of a temporary special event without first obtaining a temporary special event license. Examples of temporary special events include, but are not limited to, trade shows, festivals, fairs, arts and crafts shows, home shows, recreational vehicle shows, boat shows, and antique shows open to the public.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 6929, passed July 14, 2026).
Full Breakdown
12 makes it unlawful for any promoter to operate a temporary special event without a license, and names trade shows, festivals, fairs, arts and crafts shows, home shows, recreational vehicle shows, boat shows, and antique shows as examples. 020(C), a "temporary special event" is defined specifically as the congregation of at least 15 vendors obtaining sales space through a promoter, at an event open to the public for no more than 10 consecutive calendar days; smaller gatherings fall outside this chapter. 030. 070, the promoter must submit a vendor list to the city's tax office, with each vendor's name, address, phone number, and a description of goods or services offered.
060, and stays personally liable for any fee that should have been collected. 090 requires the promoter to keep records of all participating vendors available for inspection by the tax office during normal business hours. 040, but if the promoter never obtains the special event license, every vendor at the event instead becomes subject to that general licensing chapter.
Violations & Fines
The license fee is $5.00 per vendor per day, capped at $40.00 per vendor for the whole event, under BCC 5.12.080. A promoter who files late or fails to remit the fee at least three days before the event owes an additional 10 percent of the license fee, plus interest at 12 percent per year on any unpaid balance, per BCC 5.12.110; the tax administration manager can grant a filing extension for good cause. Skipping the license entirely pushes every vendor at the event into the city's standard business license requirements under Chapter 4.09 BCC instead. A promoter can appeal a disputed fee, penalty, or interest charge to the city hearing examiner under the Process II procedure in LUC 20.35.250, per BCC 5.12.120.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who needs a temporary special event license in Bellevue?
How much does a Bellevue festival vendor license cost?
What happens if a Bellevue event promoter doesn't get a special event license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellevue
Compare Bellevue to another location·View the Washington special events & permits overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Street Fair Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle street fair rules.