Joliet, IL Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Approval body
- City council, on city clerk's recommendation
- Banned activities
- Gambling devices, lewd or indecent shows
- Security
- Required throughout all operating hours
- Operating hours
- 7am-10pm Sun-Thu, 7am-11pm Fri-Sat
- Emergency closure
- Mayor's office; hearing within 48 hrs
Summary
Joliet requires city council authorization, on the city clerk's recommendation, before any carnival, defined broadly to include festivals, vending devices and amusement attractions temporarily set up in a public place, can run in the city. Section 5-22 bars gambling devices and lewd attractions outright, section 5-23 requires paid or licensed security throughout, and section 5-25 caps operating hours at 10 p.m. weeknights and 11 p.m. weekends.
Carnival shall be defined as a circus or any aggregation of attractions, whether shows, acts, games, vending devices or amusement devices, whether conducted under one (1) or more managements or independently, which are temporarily set up or conducted in a public place or upon any private premises accessible to the public, with or without admission fee, and which, from the nature of the aggregation, attracts attendance and causes intermingling of persons...no carnival shall be set up, run, operated, or conducted within the city, unless authorized by the city council pursuant to a recommendation by the city clerk. In addition to the requirements of the special event permit, no carnival shall operate any gambling device, lottery, number or paddle wheel, number board, punch board, or other game of chance, or any lewd, lascivious or indecent show or attraction making an indecent exposure of a person or suggesting lewdness...The applicant may only operate the carnival between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 200).
Full Breakdown
Section 5-21 defines 'carnival' broadly enough to reach most street fairs and festivals: a circus or any aggregation of attractions, whether shows, acts, games, vending devices or amusement devices, under one or more managements, temporarily set up in a public place or on private premises accessible to the public, with or without an admission fee, that by its nature draws a crowd and mixes people together. Section 5-22 requires city council authorization on the recommendation of the city clerk before any carnival can be set up, run or conducted, on top of the ordinary special event permit required under Article I, and flatly bars any carnival from running a gambling device, lottery, number or paddle wheel, punch board, or any lewd, lascivious or indecent show or attraction.
Section 5-23 requires the applicant to provide security throughout all hours of operation, and lets the city demand more security if the carnival's type, size or location calls for it; every security worker must be either an off-duty law enforcement officer or licensed under the state's Private Detective, Private Alarm, Private Security, Fingerprint Vendor, and Locksmith Act. Section 5-24 requires the applicant to give law enforcement and city officials access to the grounds, attractions, concessions and structures for inspection both before and during the event.
m. m. Friday and Saturday. Section 5-26 requires the permit to be displayed prominently on-site and shown to any official or member of the public who asks to see it.
Violations & Fines
Section 5-27 lets the city council suspend or revoke a carnival permit for violating any provision of the article or another applicable law, but only after written notice and a hearing under the city's administrative adjudication code, with the permittee entitled to present evidence and cross-examine witnesses. The mayor's office can also order an emergency closure of a carnival, attraction or structure that poses an imminent threat to health, safety or welfare, with a hearing required within 48 hours of that closure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Joliet's carnival ordinance cover street fairs and festivals?
Who approves a carnival or street fair permit in Joliet?
What security does a street fair need in Joliet?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Joliet
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