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

Chapter 12, Article VIII of the Richardson Code of Ordinances governs any temporary outdoor market on private property where vendors sell produce, food, or crafts directly to consumers, distinct from flea markets covered elsewhere in Chapter 12. Under Sec. 12-224, an organizer must file a written application with the director of health naming the location, property owner, and proposed months, days, dates, and hours before a permit issues; a permit lasts one year and must be renewed annually. Sec. 00 for a concession food vendor, and non-food and cottage food vendors are exempt.

Sec. 12-226 restricts operation to Saturdays, Sundays, and Monday national holidays, bars markets from running more than three consecutive days, and requires the permit holder to clear all litter, tents, stalls, and merchandise from the premises at the end of each market day. No animals may be sold, offered for adoption, displayed, or given away at the market. The permit holder must keep a 90-day log of every participating food vendor's name, address, phone number, operating dates, food items sold, applicable permits, and the origin of each food item.

Vendors handling foods that need time or temperature control must have a person in charge holding a TDSHS-recognized certified food handler card and must comply with the Texas Food Establishment Rules; prepackaged-food vendors need a TDSHS manufactured foods license unless operating under the Texas Cottage Food Industry Law. Sec. 12-228 limits each vendor booth to one 24-square-foot sign, caps total market signage at 36 square feet across no more than six signs per frontage, bans human signs, animated or flashing signs, and hand-painted or cardboard signage, and requires all signs to sit on private property at least ten feet from the back of curb.