Jackson, MS Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- City Code Secs. 66-76 to 66-81 (Ch. 66, Art. III)
- Last amended
- Ord. No. 2025-38(17), Oct. 21, 2025
- Mobile tent permit fee
- $300.00 per event
- Liability insurance
- $500,000.00 minimum, city as additional insured
- Buffer waiver
- 300-ft rule waived for sanctioned festivals w/ approval
- Unpermitted operation fine
- $500.00 plus impoundment
Summary
Food vendors working Jackson parades, festivals and street fairs are regulated as mobile food vendors under Chapter 66. A mobile tent used to sell food at a festival needs its own $300-per-event permit, though the standard 300-foot buffer from other food businesses is waived for city-sanctioned parades and festivals with event-organizer approval.
Mobile tent means a not permanently anchored temporary structure such as a canopy or tent used for the onsite preparation and sell of food and beverages by licensed caterers or for the sell of previously prepared food and beverages during parades, festivals, concerts, and similar public gatherings. ... These provisions shall not apply for city-sanctioned parades or festivals if the vendor has (a) written approval from the event organizer and (b) a temporary operating permit from the office of planning and development.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 55).
Full Breakdown
City Code Chapter 66, Article III (Mobile Food Vending, last amended Oct. 21, 2025 by Ord. No. 2025-38(17)) defines a "mobile tent" as "a not permanently anchored temporary structure such as a canopy or tent used for the onsite preparation and sell of food and beverages by licensed caterers or for the sell of previously prepared food and beverages during parades, festivals, concerts, and similar public gatherings" (Sec. 66-77). Sec. 00 per event. Sec. 66-78(e) bars vendors from operating within 300 feet of any public space during a city-appointed special event without notarized written authorization from the event organizers, posted on-site.
Sec. " Sec. unless the event permit sets different hours, with cleanup due within 30 minutes after the permitted end time. Sec. 66-79(u) bars sale of beer, wine or alcohol from these units, and Sec. 66-80(9) caps mobile tent footprints at 10 feet by 10 feet "unless the event allows a larger size," with canopies required to be flame-retardant.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 66-81 sets tiered fines for mobile vending violations: up to $150.00 for a first offense, $250.00 for a second within a year, and $500.00 for a third or subsequent offense with permit revocation; operating without a permit at all draws a $500.00 fine and equipment impoundment. Violations of health or fire code trigger immediate closure and permit revocation, and each day of a continuing violation counts as a separate offense, cited as a misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do food vendors at a Jackson street fair need their own permit besides the event permit?
Can a festival food vendor set up within 300 feet of a restaurant in Jackson?
How big can a food tent be at a Jackson street fair?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Jackson
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