Fulton County, GA Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Zoning Resolution § 19.4.19 is Fulton County's rule for the big outdoor events: carnivals, arts and crafts shows and music festivals that market beyond the local community and expect 250 or more attendees at one time. Smaller, locally marketed events use the Article 19.3.3 administrative permit instead, so 250 attendees is the line that moves an event from an administrative sign-off to a use approval through the board of commissioners. Approved sites sit in AG-1, O-I, MIX or commercial and industrial districts, and the conditions are aimed squarely at the residential edge.

Wherever the site adjoins a residential district or an AG-1 district used for single-family purposes, the operator must install eight-foot-high, 100 percent opaque fencing, and all activity areas, parking included, must stay at least 100 feet from those districts. Hours near residential uses run 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., and sound is capped at 60/75 dBA. The approval itself is time-boxed twice over: it is limited to a three-year period from the date of board of commissioners approval, and within any calendar year the festival or event cannot exceed a total of 180 consecutive days. An operator who wants to continue past the three years goes back through the approval process.