Gary, IN Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Gary Municipal Code § 10-263(b)(4) exempts street fairs and ethnic festivals from Article VII's peddler and transient-merchant licensing scheme, but only for merchants selling foods and goods prepared specifically for that function; vendors who resell prepackaged goods or foods do not qualify. The exemption requires that the fair or festival be sponsored by a local not-for-profit corporation or an unincorporated civic club or association as defined in § 10-263(a), and that sponsor cannot be an organization created specifically to put on the fair or festival in question.

To claim the exemption, the sponsoring organization must submit a statement to the city controller's office identifying the location, date and purpose of the event and the names of the participating artists, craftsmen and merchants, and must obtain a permit from the department of planning and zoning. The event is also subject to inspection by the department of health to confirm proper sanitation, mirroring the retail food permit process the health department runs for other transient food vendors under § 10-301(a). Any vendor at the fair falling outside these conditions, such as a reseller of prepackaged goods, remains subject to the ordinary peddler or transient-merchant permit rules in §§ 10-298-10-306.