Rowan County, NC Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Section 12-1 defines a mass gathering as an assembly charging admission in reasonable contemplation of profit, drawing more than 1,000 people, for a continuous period of more than six hours in open air or in a building the health director finds poses a public health or safety risk; events run by a school or government agency sized to be safely served are excluded. Section 12-31 makes it unlawful to organize, sponsor or hold a mass gathering without a permit from the county health director, and each gathering needs its own non-transferable permit.

00 fee, identification of organizers, the location, expected peak attendance, dates and hours, and an outline map showing toilets, water sources, garbage disposal areas, and entrances and exits. Section 12-33 gives the health director 10 days to inspect the site and issue a provisional permit. Section 12-34 lets the health director require a performance bond of $5,000 for up to 10,000 attendees, plus $1,000 for each additional 5,000 people, and liability and property damage insurance up to $1,000,000. Article III adds siting standards: Section 12-64 keeps the activity and camping area at least 1,500 feet from any residence absent a signed, notarized waiver, and Section 12-65 keeps it one mile from a Class I or II reservoir or three miles from a protected watershed feeding a public water supply. Section 12-35 conditions final issuance on a pre-event inspection roughly 15 days out confirming required facilities and arrangements are in place.