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

Hemet's sidewalk vendor ordinance, Chapter 18, Article XV, requires anyone who sells food or merchandise from a pushcart or from their person on a public sidewalk to hold a sidewalk vendor permit under Section 18-477. Section 18-482 carves out an exception for street fairs and similar events: when the vending is "associated with the operation of a city-permitted special event," a general business license issued under Article II of Chapter 18 takes the place of the sidewalk vendor permit, "subject to the conditions" the city attaches to that event.

The code defines a special event broadly, covering carnivals, sporting events, fairs, art shows, and cultural events, so a downtown street fair, a car show, or a holiday festival all qualify. That license lets an event vendor set up inside the fair's approved footprint without also chasing a separate sidewalk vendor permit, but it does not excuse the vendor from the event organizer's own rules or Hemet's business license requirements generally. The flip side protects the fair itself: Section 18-484(e)(6)(ii) bars ordinary sidewalk vendors, roaming or stationary cart operators who did not sign on with the event, from working within the immediate vicinity of any area designated for a special event permit for the limited duration of that permit.

That keeps unlicensed competitors out of a fair's vendor zone while it is running. Violations of Article XV, including vending inside a restricted special event area without authorization, carry administrative fines climbing from $100 for a first offense to $500 for repeat violations, with a steeper track if the vendor has no permit at all. Anyone cited can appeal the city manager's decision through the hearing procedure in Article II of Chapter 1.