Merced County, CA Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Chapter 6.40 of the Merced County Code requires a county license before anyone operates, advertises, or sells tickets to an outdoor festival in the unincorporated area (Section 6.40.020). The application goes to the Board of Supervisors through the tax collector with a nonrefundable $100 fee and must be filed at least 60 days before the event, disclosing the applicant's identity, the site's legal description and ownership or written consent, dates and hours, an estimate of expected attendance, and detailed plans for security, water, food, sanitation, medical care, parking, traffic control, lighting for overnight events, and post-event cleanup, plus a plan for policing alcohol and drug use (Sections 6.40.030, 6.40.040).

The Board sets a public hearing between 15 and 30 days after filing, with 10 days' written notice to the applicant, and routes the application to the Sheriff, county health officer, public works director, and planning director for investigation and recommendations before the hearing (Section 6.40.050). The Board can grant the license with conditions, including requiring an indemnity or performance bond and a separate corporate surety bond to cover cleanup and debris removal (Sections 6.40.060, 6.40.080, 6.40.090). Once conditions and any required bonds are met, the tax collector issues the license and collects a $150 per-day license fee for each scheduled festival day (Section 6.40.100); charitable, religious, or eleemosynary organizations are exempt from the application and license fees as long as proceeds do not benefit a private person or business (Section 6.40.110).

Licenses are nontransferable and cannot move to a new location (Section 6.40.150), and the Sheriff may suspend or close a festival early during a riot or serious breach of the peace (Section 6.40.140).