Story County, IA Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Food vendors
- need IDIA food establishment permit
- Alcohol sales
- state liquor license + Board approval
- Sanitation plan
- water, toilets, solid waste required
- Reviewing agency
- Story County Environmental Health
- Approval authority
- Story County Board of Supervisors
- Violation penalty
- permit fee plus up to 2x fee
Summary
Vendors and organizers running a carnival, festival, or street fair in unincorporated Story County must cover food, alcohol, and sanitation in their special events application under Code of Ordinances § 83.06(1). Food vendors need an Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals food establishment permit, alcohol sales need a state liquor license plus County Board of Supervisors approval, and the applicant must submit a plan for water, toilets, and solid waste.
H. Environmental health plans, including plans for fresh water supplies, solid waste containers, collections and disposal and toilet facilities or portable toilets. ... I. Names and contact information of vendors including food establishment permit(s) from the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals, if serving food. ... J. If serving alcohol, a copy of the liquor license and/or application from the State Alcoholic Beverages Division. Approval to serve alcohol is required from the Story County Board of Supervisors.
Full Breakdown
01. 06(1) requires the special events application to include, item by item: environmental health plans covering fresh water supply, solid waste containers and disposal, and toilet facilities or portable toilets (subsection H); the names and contact information of every vendor, plus an Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals food establishment permit for any vendor serving food (subsection I); and, for any vendor or organizer serving alcohol, a copy of the liquor license or application from the State Alcoholic Beverages Division, with the sale itself needing separate approval from the Story County Board of Supervisors (subsection J).
06(3). The application also must disclose the promoting entity's contact information, admission fees or donations charged, and a certificate of liability insurance, and tents or vendor structures must meet the zoning district's setbacks. 08.
Violations & Fines
A vendor or organizer who sells food or alcohol without the required permits, or who otherwise violates the approved event terms, faces the county infraction penalty under Section 83.11: a citation for the special event permit fee plus up to twice that amount, in place of the standard county infraction fine under Section 93.03, with repeat offenses carrying stiffer penalties. Selling alcohol without Board of Supervisors approval, or serving food without an Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals permit, can also draw separate state enforcement action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do food vendors at a county street fair need their own permit?
Can I sell alcohol at the event?
What sanitation planning does the county require?
Who has final say on the event permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Story County
Compare Story County to another location·View the Iowa special events & permits overview
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