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

Municipal Code § 18.04.030 defines a special event to include, by name, carnivals, circuses, fairs, festivals and other similar activities, along with farmers' markets and other seasonal commercial sales, whether held on private property or in the public right-of-way. Because a street fair almost always exceeds the scope of any single business license on the site, or spills into the right-of-way, it needs a special event permit under § 18.65.020 before it can operate at all. The application requirements in § 18.65.050 fall directly on the vendors and organizers running the fair: proof of a valid business license is required if the event includes any business activity or sales, and organizers must submit copies of any required permits or releases from other agencies, naming the Orange County Health Care Agency for food service and the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for alcohol sales.

An application involving food service, a street closure, or more than 250 expected attendees, all common at a street fair, must also include a sanitation plan covering restrooms, waste disposal and cleanup. Temporary signs and banners advertising the fair or its vendors are subject to Chapter 18.23's sign standards, and any amplified sound, common at festival stages and vendor booths, must comply with the noise limits in Chapter 9.32. A street fair large enough to qualify as a 'large special event,' 250 or more attendees, five or more days, more than 25 percent of on-site parking removed, a street closure, or an inflatable over 200 square feet, goes to the planning commission for approval after a noticed public hearing rather than being decided administratively by the director.