Montgomery, AL Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Carnival/fair/circus license
- $2,500.00 per location per week
- Carnival tax deposit
- $500.00 sales-tax deposit
- Craft/art show vendor fee
- $40.00 per vendor
- License duration cap
- Not more than 30 calendar days
- Sale scope
- One-time, single-sale license
- Pre-approval required
- Zoning, building and fire department sign-off
Summary
Selling at a street fair, craft show or festival in Montgomery, Alabama runs through the city's transient-business license schedule. City Code Sec. 16-106(a)(4) prices a carnival, fair or circus at $2,500.00 plus a $500.00 sales-tax deposit, and a craft or art show vendor at $40.00 per person.
(4)Transients or itinerants. Each person, firm, or corporation doing business in the city whereby said person, firm, or corporation does not have a permanent location within the city and whereby said business is transient or itinerant, the license tax is fixed as follows... f.Carnival, fair or circus. Each person operating a carnival, fair, circus or similar activity shall pay a license tax as follows for each location or week or part-week of operation: $2,500.00 and a $500.00 sales tax deposit... h.Merchant retail sponsor. Each person engaged in the business of selling goods, wares or products at craft shows, art shows and exhibitions may obtain one license from the city's revenue department issued to the person sponsoring or benefiting from the sale or exhibition at $40.00 per vendor.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 27).
Full Breakdown
Montgomery's revenue code treats festival and fair vending as a form of transient or itinerant business, licensed differently from a permanent storefront. Sec. 00 per vendor rather than making each seller license separately. Every transient license under this subsection is capped at 30 calendar days, must state the dates the business will operate, covers only a single sale on a one-time basis, and requires a location that has cleared zoning, building and fire department approval before any sales begin; a licensee working from a truck may not off-load merchandise except for sales or into an already-approved building.
A sales-tax deposit tied to the value of goods to be sold is also collected up front and held in escrow. Sec. 16-108 backstops this by letting the revenue administrator license 'temporary events that take place within the city such as, but not limited to, arts and crafts, holiday merchants' either as a single group license or individually, at the department's discretion, with the applicable fee schedule kept on file in the revenue office. This scheme is distinct from the separate special-event permit process in Chapter 26 that street fairs must also obtain to use public streets or parks.
Violations & Fines
Operating an unlicensed vendor booth at a Montgomery festival or fair falls under the general business-license enforcement scheme in Chapter 16, which authorizes the revenue administrator to assess the tax due plus penalties and to refer nonpayment for prosecution under Sec. 1-6 as a city offense, punishable by a fine of $1.00 to $500.00 or up to six months in jail or at hard labor. Selling without the required zoning, building and fire sign-off on the sales location is a separate compliance failure that can block licensing outright.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do street fair and festival vendors need a business license in Montgomery, Alabama?
How much does a festival vendor license cost in Montgomery?
What does it cost to run a carnival or fair in Montgomery?
How long does a temporary festival vendor license last?
Sources & Official References
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