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

Section 7-9-117.9, "Special gatherings," covers "the temporary use of property for special gatherings, including but not limited to pageants, fairs, carnivals, commercial filming, and large athletic, religious, or entertainment events," and permits them "without regard for other land use regulations to the contrary" in any zoning district, planned community or specific plan area, provided the standards in the section are met. The permit tier depends on headcount: gatherings of more than 100 people, spectators and participants combined, require a Site Development Permit under Section 7-9-125, while gatherings of 100 people or fewer need only a Zoning Use Certificate under Section 7-9-125.11(a). Either way, the event is capped at 10 consecutive days, and an event that recurs more than four times in a calendar year is no longer treated as temporary at all, pushing the operator toward a permanent land use approval instead.

The Director can require a cash bond or other guarantee to ensure the site is cleaned up and restored within seven days after the event ends, and applications get routed to other County agencies for review. Subsection (f) directs that policing and security, food and water supply, tents and canopies, sanitation, medical services, noise, signage, fire protection and traffic control all be satisfactorily addressed by the Director, Sheriff, Fire Chief or Health Officer, which can mean separate building, electrical, health or tent permits layered on top of the base gathering approval. Farmers' markets that comply with the County's separate farmers'-market standards are expressly carved out of Section 7-9-117.9 by subsection (g), and any event on County-owned property or in a public road right-of-way may also need a separate encroachment permit from the Director.