Kootenai County, ID Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

129 sets the standards a special event location must meet before organizers can hold a fair, festival, or similar gathering under a conditional use permit. The event site can only sit in the agricultural, rural, commercial, mining, light industrial, or industrial zones; residential and agricultural suburban parcels are off the list. There is no fixed acreage minimum: the board decides case by case whether the parcel is big enough for the crowd, the vendors, and parking, and organizers can rely on off-site parking if they show attendees can get there.

Applicants must submit a detailed site plan and event description addressing security, access, crowd management, traffic management, parking, waste control and disposal, and litter control, and copies go to the Kootenai County sheriff's office, Panhandle Health District, the Idaho Transportation Department, the highway district with jurisdiction, and any other agency the director names. Parking runs one space for every three seats, in a clearly marked area; if the parking lot belongs to someone other than the event's landowner, that owner must sign off in writing.

Noise at a street fair or festival tops out at 75 dBA measured at the property line unless the permit itself allows a louder threshold. 2 foot-candle at the property line unless the board approves brighter fixtures. Organizers cannot park cars or erect booths over an existing drainfield, and the board can require a performance bond to cover cleanup and guarantee the event does not become a nuisance to neighboring parcels. (Ord. 493, 6-9-2016)