Fountain Valley, CA Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

A festival, street fair, carnival or bazaar in the City of Fountain Valley needs a special events permit under Section 8.50.020 when it is likely to draw at least 75 people. The definition names fairs, festivals, food faires, cook-offs, carnivals, bazaars, circuses, concerts and similar planned occurrences. Events on streets and rights-of-way that carry motor vehicles go through the street permit in Section 8.50.010 instead. Small events, those likely to draw fewer than 500 persons in a four-hour period, get lessened requirements under Section 8.50.022, but they still need an application, a plot or parking plan, insurance (the code points to one million dollars in coverage) and a letter from the site owner or manager granting permission.

The dimensioned site plan required by Section 8.50.070 must show rides, games, concessions, fire extinguishers, waste and sanitation facilities, tents and awnings, generators and fuel storage, food booths and cooking methods, and fire vehicle accessways. It must keep one eight-foot aisle between rides, games, concessions and sanitation facilities, and one 25-foot fire lane within 150 feet of the most remote event.

Section 8.50.080 adds operating conditions: two 30-gallon metal trash containers for each ride, game and concession plus one special dumpster on site, the carnival area and adjacent streets cleared each evening, and all trash removed within 24 hours of closing. Tents and awnings need State Fire Marshal flame-retardance certificates, rides need the annual state certification and a CAL-OSHA color-coded seal, temporary electrical use needs an electrical permit, and generator fuel sits at least 75 feet from the public area in approved safety cans of five gallons maximum.

Inspections (Section 8.50.090) start at least one day before opening. The building department covers rides and electrical installations, the fire department covers extinguishers, cooking, flame retardancy and fuel, police inspect the games, and the county health department covers food service and sanitary facilities. The applicant coordinates all of it.