Taylor, MI Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

Sec. 14.12(b), Temporary uses, seasonal, and special events, lets the development services department permit these events in any zoning district when standards are met. Events may occur on a lot with a permitted principal building, or on a vacant lot if minimum district setbacks for buildings, structures and parking are honored; setbacks may never be less than 100 feet from residential districts or uses and ten feet from nonresidential districts or uses, except in the midtown districts. The activity cannot block sidewalks, rights-of-way, or fire lanes, and a petitioner who does not own the property must have the owner's written permission first.

Applicants must provide one parking space per 800 square feet of gross lot area used, plus retail-store parking for any sales structure, and submit a scaled sketch plan showing lot lines, adjacent uses, buildings, storage areas, fire hydrants, parking layout, sales-area boundaries, and any signage. All equipment and materials must be removed within five days after the event ends, or the city applies the applicant's escrow fee toward clearing the site. A temporary use or special event runs no more than seven days, except seasonal sales such as Christmas trees, flowers, garden supplies, and pumpkins, which get up to 15 days; sports or special-event merchandise sales do not qualify as seasonal.

Only two temporary use permits per business or property are allowed each year. Carnivals and circuses face extra city council review, liability insurance, security fencing, a five-day annual cap, and hours limited to 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., with no more than one carnival running in the city at a time; farmers markets on a regular schedule are limited to nonresidential districts but can get an annual permit covering multiple dates.