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

Sec. 11-40 of the San Antonio Code of Ordinances amends the 2024 International Fire Code by adding Section 323, Food Booths, which states in 323.1 that "it shall be unlawful to operate a food booth without a permit," cross-referencing the operational-permit requirement in the newly added Section 105.5.59. Under the Chapter 11 fee schedule at Sec. 11-16(14), the float and food booth permit costs $35.00 per day if prepaid, or $45.00 per day if collected on site (both include or add the technology fee under Sec. 21-161).

Section 323 sets out the operating rules a street-fair or festival vendor must meet. A standard booth is sized at 10 feet by 10 feet under 323.10, with extended booths charged additional fees in 100-square-foot increments. Cooking booths need 10 feet of clearance on two sides, can't sit in fire lanes without fire code official approval, and can't be placed within 10 feet of amusement rides (323.3). Only wood or charcoal, propane, natural gas, or electricity are approved cooking sources (323.5), and barbecue pits must stay at least 10 feet from combustible materials and can't sit under the booth canopy (323.4). Propane tanks must be UL listed, secured against falling, white or aluminum in color, limited to one spare tank per booth, kept at least 5 feet from an ignition source, and at least 10 feet from a building door or window (323.9). Each booth needs at least one 2A:10BC fire extinguisher, with additional class K extinguishers required for deep fat fryers (323.2).