Carson, CA Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Who may host
- Nonprofits or merchants with permanent location
- Approvals needed
- Property owner + Planning Division Director
- Tent sales
- County Fire Department approval required
- Frequency cap
- One weekend per 3-month period
- Governs
- Sidewalk, parking-lot and tent events
Summary
Carson restricts temporary sidewalk, parking-lot and tent sales and special events to nonprofit organizations and merchants with a permanent location, requiring property-owner consent, a Planning Division plot plan, and Director approval before an event can be held.
In connection with temporary sidewalk, parking lot, and tent sales, and special events, the following requirements shall be met:
A. Only nonprofit organizations and merchants with a permanent location may conduct such sales.
B. The applicant shall obtain written approval to conduct such sales from the property owner.
C. The event shall be conducted outside an enclosed building and shall not encroach upon public rights-of-way.
D. The applicant shall submit adequate plot plans depicting pedestrian and vehicular circulation, parking and fire lanes acceptable to the Planning Division.
E. In the case of a tent sale, County Fire Department approval must accompany the application.
F. Such sales shall be subject to prior approval of the Director.
G. Tent events for a period not to exceed three and one-half (3.5) months that are hosted by department stores or regional shopping centers with a gross floor area of at least one hundred thousand (100,000) square feet located in the CR zoning district and in a Mixed-Use Residential (MUR) overlay district may be approved by the Planning Manager; provided, that the event meets all the requirements for location, parking, and access. All other sidewalk, parking lot and tent sales, and special events shall occur no more than one (1) weekend in any three (3) month period, or similar time period as determined by the Planning Officer to be appropriate. (Ord. 11-1479 § 14; Ord. 09-1421 § 1; Ord. 89-888 § 1; Ord. 88-857 § 4)
Full Breakdown
Under Carson Municipal Code § 9138.8, anyone hosting a temporary sidewalk sale, parking-lot sale, tent sale or special event must be a nonprofit or a merchant with a permanent business location in the city, get written consent from the property owner, keep the event outside any enclosed building and off public rights-of-way, and submit a plot plan showing pedestrian/vehicular circulation, parking and fire lanes to the Planning Division. Tent sales additionally need Los Angeles County Fire Department sign-off. Outside a narrow exception for large department stores or regional shopping centers, most sidewalk/parking-lot/tent sales and special events are capped at one weekend every three months, though the Planning Officer can set a different interval.
Violations & Fines
Holding a sidewalk, parking-lot or tent sale or special event without the Director's prior approval, without a Planning Division-approved plot plan, or more often than the one-weekend-per-three-months limit is a code violation, subject to the city's standard zoning enforcement and penalty provisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any business set up a street-fair or vendor booth in Carson?
How often can a Carson business host one of these events?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Carson
California rules heatmap·Compare Carson to another location·View the California special events & permits overview
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Street Fair Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle street fair rules.