Canton, OH Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Section 749.09(g) of Canton's itinerant retailer chapter governs vending at street fairs and festivals. No itinerant retailer, meaning anyone selling, bartering or exchanging goods on a street, sidewalk, alley or other public place, can operate inside the boundaries of a designated special event, or on public property connected to one, without the express permission of that event's sponsor. In exchange for getting the sponsor's permission, vendors working inside a designated special event are exempt from the regular Chapter 749 itinerant retailer permit for the duration of the event.

But an event only counts as "designated" if the Safety Director has given written approval for the use of public property for it in the first place; the Director can grant that approval for events sponsored by community service organizations and nonprofit corporations. Once the event is approved, a map showing the boundaries of the public property being used must go to both the Chief of Police and the City License Bureau. Vendors at the event still answer to the general 749.09 rules for spacing and conduct, including keeping merchandise away from doorways, crosswalks, bus stops, fire hydrants and curb cuts, and to the 749.06 insurance requirement and 749.04 restriction on selling to people standing in the roadway or in vehicles.