Coon Rapids, MN Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Section 11-706.5, part of the (RS) Regional Shopping District regulations, lets the Community Development Director grant a property owner or agent a special event permit for gatherings including musical presentations, festivals, carnivals, dances, and the display and sale of merchandise. Each event cannot exceed three days, and the same property owner cannot use more than 90 total permit days within one calendar year across all their special events. The Director decides whether to approve or deny an application based on public safety considerations and must communicate the decision, with reasons, to the applicant within 30 days of receiving a completed application.

If the Director denies a permit, the applicant can appeal to the City Council, which must affirm, rescind or modify the Director's determination within 30 days of the appeal. Every applicant must pay a fee before a permit is granted, with fee amounts set from time to time by City Council ordinance rather than fixed in the zoning code itself. This special event permit sits alongside Section 11-706.4, which otherwise bars outdoor display and sale of merchandise in the Regional Shopping District except when covered by one of these permits, meaning a vendor at a street fair or festival inside the district's shopping centers is operating under the same three-day, 90-day-per-owner framework regardless of the specific event's theme.