Norwalk, CT Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Norwalk licenses two separate things: individual street vendors under Chapter 77 and public gatherings, including festivals and carnivals, under Chapter 88. Section 77-2 normally requires every street vendor to get a City Clerk license, carry a photo ID card, and display a numbered tag on their stand or vehicle before selling anything on a public street or sidewalk, for a $200 fee set under Section 77-6. Section 77-3 carves out an exception for any organization or vendor which is an authorized participant in a special event approved by the city and for which a special event permit has been issued, alongside separate carve-outs for itinerant vendors under Connecticut General Statutes Section 21-27, farmers and gardeners selling their own produce, and door-to-door delivery of milk, tea, coffee, spices, groceries, meats or bakery goods.

Because Chapter 88 defines a public gathering to include a music festival, carnival, show, circus, dance, exhibition, lecture, concert, party or celebration, a street fair or festival organizer who obtains the Chapter 88 permit for the event itself brings its vendors inside the Section 77-3 exemption, so those vendors do not also need to separately license under Chapter 77. A vendor who sets up at a street fair without that umbrella permit, or without being a genuine authorized participant in it, still needs the standard Chapter 77 vendor license.