Waukesha, WI Special Events & Permits: Street Fair Rules (2026)

11 covers carnivals, circuses, fairs, boxing and wrestling exhibitions and similar traveling amusement activities, and bars any of them from operating in Waukesha without a Common Council permit; no permit may go to an applicant under 21. Applications go through the City Clerk at least 30 days before the first day of operation and must identify the applicant, the sponsoring organization, the person in direct charge on-site, the last three cities where the activity operated, and proof of public liability insurance of at least $10,000-$20,000 bodily injury and $5,000 property damage.

The nonreturnable application fee is $10, plus a per-day operating fee of $25 for an activity of six units or fewer, $35 for seven units or more, or $25 for a boxing or wrestling exhibition, with each booth, ride, game or concession counted as one unit; charitable and nonprofit sponsors are excused from the per-day fee, though a for-profit operator cannot dodge it just by using a nonprofit as sponsor. The Police, Fire, Park-Recreation and Building Departments each review the application and report back within 15 days before the Council votes.

Approved permittees must post a $500 cash or surety bond covering property damage, cleanup and any fines. The activity itself cannot sit in a zone where the zoning ordinance forbids it or within 300 feet of an occupied dwelling, though the Council can waive that distance for a week for school, church or nonprofit-sponsored events or activities of six units or fewer. m. m. Sundays and holidays. Alcohol sales are prohibited on-site absent a separate City permit, and the Council can suspend or revoke a permit immediately, by posted notice, if the activity becomes a public nuisance or safety hazard.