Clarksville, TN Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit issued by
- Dept. of Parks and Recreation
- Curfew
- 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m.
- Fine
- $50.00 per violation
- Street closures
- at police chief's discretion
- Users fee
- set by Parks & Rec Committee
Summary
No carnival, circus, fair, festival or parade can operate in Clarksville without a permit from the Department of Parks and Recreation. Section 5-1001 lets the department deny permits over safety, traffic or noise concerns, bars operating between 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. without written permission, and sets a $50.00 fine per day of violation.
Sec. 5-1001. - Carnivals, circuses, and similar exhibitions; permit required; hours regulated; permit and users fee; recoupment of costs. (a) No carnival, circus, menagerie, fair, festival, or parade, nor any similar show or exhibition, nor component thereof, shall operate within the city corporate limits without a permit obtained from the city department of parks and recreation... (b) No carnival, circus, menagerie, fair, festival, or parade... shall operate or carry on the event or activity between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and the following 7:00 a.m. without written permission from the department of parks and recreation.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 110 Update 2 | Zoning Ordinance: Supplement 6).
Full Breakdown
Section 5-1001(a) requires a permit from the city Department of Parks and Recreation for any carnival, circus, menagerie, fair, festival, parade or similar show or exhibition operating within Clarksville's corporate limits. Before issuing a permit the department must weigh whether the event will adversely affect citizens, considering public safety, traffic, sanitation, noise and municipal liability, and may deny the permit on those grounds. The department may also charge a permit processing fee set by the Parks and Recreation Committee of the city council. without written permission from the department.
Subsection (c) requires permittees using a city park or recreation area to pay a users fee or rent set by the same committee, and subsection (d) lets the city separately contract for reimbursement of extra costs the event causes beyond normal city operations. Subsection (e) gives the chief of police discretion to temporarily close streets within an event's footprint for public safety or traffic reasons, and subsection (f) lets the chief of police order early cessation of a permitted event when public safety requires it.
Subsection (g) authorizes Parks and Recreation to write rules governing use of parks and city property by permittees. 00 civil fine per violation with each day counted separately. Tent, sign and structure fees for these events are set separately under the Section 4-203 building permit fee schedule.
Violations & Fines
Any city law enforcement officer may cite an operator running a carnival, circus, fair, festival or parade without the required Parks and Recreation permit, or in violation of the department's hours, safety rules or a police-ordered street closure or cessation order. The case is heard in city court, and conviction carries a $50.00 civil fine for each violation, with every additional day of noncompliance treated as a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who issues the permit for a street fair or festival in Clarksville?
Can a festival run all night in Clarksville?
Who can shut down my event early?
What's the penalty for holding an unpermitted festival?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clarksville
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