Onslow County, NC Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

15(E) of the Onslow County Code of Ordinances defines Special Events as circuses, fairs, carnivals, concerts, festivals, or weddings sponsored by a commercial entity or held privately, excluding events run by a government agency or nonprofit. Commercial special events are permitted by zoning permit only within a nonresidential zoning district, and the maximum length allowed for the use is one week. Organizers must keep all parking on the property or at an off-site location. Onsite event parking may never spill into a public or private right-of-way except where permanent, individually marked spaces already exist there, and any event drawing more than 200 vehicles must coordinate access with NCDOT and work with the Onslow County Sheriff's Office on traffic control.

The Sheriff's Office must be notified at least 48 hours before any special event, commercial or noncommercial, and the event has to comply with the county's noise ordinance. All solid waste generated has to be collected in commercial-grade containers and hauled away within 48 hours of a commercial event's end, or within 24 hours for a noncommercial one. Where permanent restrooms cannot handle expected attendance, organizers must add temporary facilities sized to the anticipated occupant load under the North Carolina Building Code. Noncommercial special events, the category covering a homeowner hosting a wedding or festival-style gathering on residential property, are capped at four occurrences per calendar year, and guest parking has to be accommodated off-site rather than in the dwelling's normal parking area or the street right-of-way, with shuttling permitted.