Lewis County, WA Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

LCC § 5.15.020 defines a 'music festival' as a gathering of 200 or more people with live or recorded music presented outside a structure for more than four hours in any 24-hour period, exempting events entirely inside the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds or an established church, stadium, arena or similar permanent venue. § 5.15.030 makes it unlawful to advertise such an event, or one charging admission, without a provisional permit, and unlawful to hold or allow one on property you control without a full permit; knowingly attending an unpermitted festival after being told by a police officer, code enforcement officer, or fire district officer is also unlawful.

§ 5.15.040 bars anyone convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude or drugs in the past 10 years, or of violating this chapter in the past 10 years, from applying. § 5.15.050 requires the application at least 90 days before the event, with a cash bond, fees, and the property owner's verified consent. § 5.15.070 sets the substantive standards: the festival perimeter must be 500 yards from any school, church, home, commercial building or farm building absent the occupant's consent; sanitary facilities require two toilets and five drinking-water outlets per 100-200 attendees; garbage needs five 32-gallon cans per 200 people emptied daily; fire protection requires one 1,000-gallon engine staffed by three certified firefighters; and an ambulance with two staff, one an EMT, must be on site at all times.