New Braunfels, TX Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Vendors at a downtown special event need more than a table and a sign. Non-food vendors must be individually approved by the city, and the event organizer has to submit a map showing each vendor's location along with a description of the goods sold; the city can require vendors to move if their placement blocks foot traffic, business access, or creates a hazard (§126-406). No equipment or signage may be screwed, taped or otherwise affixed to city infrastructure or private property, and every vendor must present a sales tax certificate.

Food vendors answer to a separate track: any event serving food must be coordinated through the city's environmental health division, and no food can be served without that division's inspection and approval, arranged at least 14 days before the event (§126-407). Tents count as their own permit: any tent 400 square feet or larger with sides, or 700 square feet without, needs a New Braunfels Fire Department tent permit submitted 14 days ahead, with a $75 fee for any tent over 200 square feet, plus a fire extinguisher, exit signage and flame-retardant materials (§126-408).

The event organizer, not individual vendors, carries the liability exposure: before setup begins the applicant must furnish the city's risk manager a certificate of insurance naming the City of New Braunfels as additional insured, with at least $1,000,000 in commercial general liability coverage (§126-410).