Independence, MO Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- General rule
- No vendor sales on public property
- Special event exception
- Sales allowed under a special event permit
- Vendor licensing
- Itinerant merchant license generally required
- Event insurance option
- $2,000,000 aggregate policy for all vendors
- Craft show/bazaar cap
- 5 consecutive days
Summary
Selling goods or food on Independence public property is banned unless the event has a special event permit, leaving vendors at street fairs and festivals to operate under that permit or an itinerant merchant license.
A person shall not occupy public property in the City for the purpose of selling, distributing, or offering for sale services or goods, including, but not limited to food, drinks, flowers, plants, tickets, or souvenirs.B.It is a defense to prosecution under this section that the person selling, distributing, or offering for sale services or goods:(1)is doing so in connection with the transaction of official government business;(2)is doing so by authority of a contract with the City on designated areas of public property;(3)is selling, distributing, or offering for sale only periodicals from a coin-operated machine by authority of a license to operate the machine;(4)is selling, distributing, or offering for sale goods or services as authorized by a special event permit;(5)is selling, distributing, or offering for sale only printed matter that is not commercial printed matter, including, but not limited to, newspapers and magazines, and the selling, distributing, or offering for sale is not being conducted from machines or other structures that occupy public property; or(6)is operating a vehicle for hire.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 13).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 5.04.010.A bars selling, distributing, or offering goods or services, including food, drinks, flowers, and souvenirs, from City public property. Subsection B(4) exempts sales 'authorized by a special event permit,' which is how street fair and festival vendors legally operate. Outside that exemption, vendors doing business in the City generally need an itinerant merchant license (Sec. 5.04.003); craft shows and bazaars run by a sponsoring organization are capped at five consecutive days, and event organizers can buy a single $2,000,000.00 aggregate liability policy covering all participating vendors (Sec. 5.04.005.D).
Violations & Fines
Selling goods or services from public property without a special event permit, City contract, or other listed exemption violates § 5.04.010.A; operating as an unlicensed itinerant merchant is a separate offense penalized under § 5.04.011.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can vendors sell food and crafts at an Independence street fair?
Do individual vendors need their own license for a street fair booth?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Independence
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Street Fair Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Jackson County handle street fair rules.