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

Chapter 91, Large Gatherings, is Surry County's closest equivalent to a street-fair or festival ordinance. Section 91.02 defines a LARGE GATHERING as the congregation or assembly of more than 1,000 but fewer than 5,000 people in an open space or open air for a continuous period of 12 hours or more, for any purpose, excluding events held in permanent code-compliant buildings. Section 91.03 makes it unlawful to organize, sponsor, or conduct such a gathering without a permit from the Development Services Director, issued only after written reports from the Health Director, Sheriff, Fire Marshal, and Electrical Inspector confirm the chapter's standards are met.

Section 91.04 requires the application at least 30 days before the event, with a $100 fee, an outline map of toilets, water sources, camping and food areas, and entrances and exits, plus a written crowd-control and security plan. Sections 91.29 through 91.39 then impose the substantive standards: a written dust-control plan, sanitary toilets at no more than 100 persons per seat, water tested for bacteriological and chemical safety, perishable food limited largely to pre-packaged items or on-site-cooked hamburgers and frankfurters under state restaurant sanitation rules, 52-gallon solid-waste receptacles emptied at least daily, insect and rodent control, post-event cleanup within one week, approved lighting plans, and directional signage.

Outside Chapter 91, § 132.02(D) exempts street fairs and street festivals from the county's general noise restrictions, letting amplified or unamplified sound run at an authorized event without a separate noise violation. All of these standards apply only within unincorporated Surry County; an event inside Mount Airy, Elkin, Dobson, or Pilot Mountain falls under that municipality's own permitting code.