Everett, MA Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Article VI of Chapter 12 of the Everett Revised Ordinances is the special event article. Section 12-200 gives the City Council the power to establish any event in the City of Everett as a special event. The Council describes the area of the event, names it and declares its date or dates and times. Those decisions drive everything else, because the vendor rules in Section 12-201 apply only inside the area and during the times the Council sets.

The core rule is in Section 12-201(a): during any Special Event, and in accordance with Chapter 12, no vendor can sell any products from public or private property within the Special Event area without first obtaining a special license from the city council. Private property gets no pass. A table at the edge of a parking lot is covered the same way as a spot on the street.

Enforcement is by seizure. Under Section 12-201(b), a vendor operating without a Special License has all products offered for sale confiscated and held in a convenient place until after the completion of the Special Event. Section 12-201(d) sets the disposal deadline: confiscated products are disposed of eight days after the Special Event if the vendor has not claimed them. Section 12-201(c) adds a fine under Section 1-8 for any person who fails to comply with the article.

Permanent businesses inside the area have an exemption with a limit. Under Section 12-201(e), an established business does not have to comply provided it only offers for sale items normally presented for sale at its location. A shop can keep selling its usual goods, but it cannot use the event to add new product lines to a sidewalk table. Sections 12-202 and 12-203 add the exclusion zone around the event, and the list of exclusions with area, dates and times is kept on file in the office of the City Clerk.