Harford County, MD Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Harford County Code § 267-28B(1) governs carnivals, circuses and individual public events, defined elsewhere in the zoning code as temporary events including carnivals, circus, festivals, craft shows and concerts. In unincorporated Harford County these uses need a zoning certificate from the Department of Planning and Zoning and may run for a maximum of 45 consecutive calendar days, with no structure or equipment placed within 200 feet of a residential district. Organizers must request the certificate at least 15 calendar days before the event; missing that deadline lets the Department still issue the certificate, but the applicant waives the right to notice and a hearing.

m. Temporary sanitary facilities need approval from the State or County Health Department, no lighting may go up without an electrical permit, and the site must be cleared of debris by the end of the event and of temporary structures within 3 calendar days, backed by a $500 bond or a signed disposal contract. Organizers must also provide off-street parking with a stabilized access drive, direct traffic with the local enforcement authority's help, and notify local fire and emergency personnel of any response needs. A property with 3 or more Controlled Dangerous Substances arrests at one public event cannot get a new event permit there for a full year.