Plainfield, NJ Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Section 9:9-11B of the Plainfield Municipal Code sets three hard limits on special events, which § 9:9-1 defines as carnivals limited to the operation of ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds, whips and automatic rides or devices mounted on trucks, circuses, menageries, motion pictures, and outdoor festivals and tent shows. No license can be granted for more than 3 days in length, none can extend beyond 11:00 P.M. on any given day, and an applicant is entitled to only 2 special event licenses per year. The 2 per year cap does not apply to any agency, instrumentality or quasi-governmental agency of the City of Plainfield.

The process is slower than for other events. An application for a special event license is signed by the parties conducting the event and filed with the License Bureau at least 45 days in advance (§ 9:9-3(b)). The City Council, not the Mayor, grants the license once the form is complete, § 9:9-11 requirements are met and the fee is paid, and an applicant who is rejected has a right of reconsideration under § 9:9-1 1's cross-reference in § 9:9-8(d). Where the License Bureau deems it necessary, applicants furnish public liability insurance of not less than $1,000,000 per person and $500,000 per accident, property damage coverage of not less than $1,000,000, and a cash or surety bond of $1,000,000 against damage to City property and streets (§ 9:9-6).

The holder also pays the municipal costs of the event, including police, fire, health and public works. The Clerk estimates the amount, requests a certified check no later than 10 days before the first day of the event, and holds it in escrow. Any balance is returned, and extra costs are paid within 30 days after the event. If the check is not provided 10 days before the event, the license is deemed forfeited (§ 9:9-11A). Vendors at a fair work under temporary licenses: a one-day peddler's license for special one-day events costs $25.00 per day, and the central business district ban in § 9:7-13 does not apply to such events. Charitable and religious non-profits, and City-sponsored events, are exempt from the license fee (§ 9:9-7(b)).