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

Section 5.46.010(16) defines "vendor" as "any person who sells or offers to sell any goods, food, or beverages within a special event venue," and § 5.46.010(11) confirms that a fair or festival held on public property, or on private property that affects nearby public use, is a "special event" subject to the chapter. There is no separate vendor-specific permit; the event organizer secures one special event permit covering the whole festival footprint, including its vendors.

The permit application must identify "the proposed site of any reviewing stands and/or vending areas" under § 5.46.030(3)(f)(viii), and must include "a statement of fees to be charged for the special event, including admissions tax documentation" under § 5.46.030(3)(f)(ii), which covers ticketed or admission-charging street fairs. Before the permit can issue, the organizer has to line up adequate waste disposal and identify restroom and washroom facilities that meet Snohomish Health District review and certification, under § 5.46.100(1)-(2); the permittee is also on the hook for returning the site to its pre-event condition or the city will do the cleanup and bill the organizer.

A permit can be denied if the applicant hasn't obtained a required city business license, hasn't paid the special event fee, or owes fees from a prior event, under § 5.46.080(8). One city event is carved out of this whole framework: the Annual Strawberry Festival is exempt from Chapter 5.46 permitting under § 5.46.025(2)(k) because it runs on its own master permit under Chapter 5.48 MMC, issued by the city council with a separate $500 fee. Every other street fair or festival vendor operation in Marysville runs through this general chapter.