What event permits cost in 128 places.
We read the official permit pages of 128 US cities and counties. 73 publish an event permit fee, and the median starting fee is $100. The median application deadline is 45 days, and 43 places want 60 days or more. A food vendor's single-event permit has a median fee of $52.
Updated
What we found.
- 73 of 128 places publish an event permit fee online; the rest leave it out or say it varies.
- The median starting fee is $100. 3 places charge nothing to apply, and the cheapest paid permit is $8.
- Deadlines matter more than fees: the median is 45 days, 43 places want 60 days or more, and 16 want 90 or more.
- Food vendors pay a median of $52 for a single-event permit, set by the county or state health department rather than the city.
How far ahead you must apply.
The shortest deadline each place states, usually for its smallest events.
Starting event permit fees.
Longest deadlines and highest fees.
Longest deadlines
- Alexandria, VA: 180 days
- Anaheim, CA: 180 days
- Fairfax (City), VA: 126 days
- Anne Arundel County, MD: 90 days
- Rockville, MD: 90 days
Highest published fees
- New York City, NY: up to $66,000
- Oakland, CA: up to $5,083
- Minneapolis, MN: up to $1,850
- San Jose, CA: up to $875
- Nashville, TN: up to $785
Every city and county.
| Place | Event permit fee | Food vendor permit | Apply at least |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington, DC | $158 | Not published | 60 days |
| Annapolis, MD | Not published | $35–$114 | Not published |
| Anne Arundel County, MD | Not published | $35–$114 | 90 days |
| Baltimore, MD | $80 | $50 | 42 days |
| Baltimore County, MD | $177 | $35 | 14 days |
| Bowie, MD | $100 | Not published | Not published |
| Charles County, MD | Not published | $100 | 45 days |
| College Park, MD | Not published | Not published | 15 days |
| Frederick, MD | $128–$200 | $50 | 45 days |
| Frederick County, MD | Not published | $50 | Not published |
| Gaithersburg, MD | Not published | $40–$70 | 60 days |
| Greenbelt, MD | Not published | Not published | 7 days |
| Howard County, MD | Not published | $72 | 60 days |
| Hyattsville, MD | $8–$10 | Not published | 14 days |
| Laurel, MD | $75 | Not published | 60 days |
| Montgomery County, MD | Not published | $40–$70 | 30 days |
| Prince George's County, MD | Not published | Not published | 21 days |
| Rockville, MD | $50 | $40–$70 | 90 days |
| Takoma Park, MD | Not published | $40–$70 | Not published |
| Alexandria, VA | $50 | $40 | 180 days |
| Arlington County, VA | No fee | Not published | 90 days |
| Fairfax (City), VA | $100–$210 | $40 | 126 days |
| Fairfax County, VA | $140–$285 | Not published | Not published |
| Falls Church, VA | Not published | $40 | 90 days |
| Herndon, VA | $50 | $40 | 30 days |
| Leesburg, VA | $50 | Not published | 45 days |
| Loudoun County, VA | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Manassas, VA | Not published | $40 | 45 days |
| Prince William County, VA | Not published | $40 | 28 days |
| Vienna, VA | Not published | $40 | 75 days |
| Anchorage, AK | $50–$200 | $35–$75 | 28 days |
| Huntsville, AL | No fee | Not published | 20 days |
| Chandler, AZ | Not published | Not published | 60 days |
| Gilbert, AZ | $150 | Not published | 60 days |
| Glendale, AZ | Not published | Not published | 60 days |
| Mesa, AZ | $50–$300 | Not published | 14 days |
| Phoenix, AZ | $400 | Not published | 90 days |
| Scottsdale, AZ | $165–$330 | Not published | 30 days |
| Tucson, AZ | Not published | Not published | 30 days |
| Anaheim, CA | Not published | Not published | 180 days |
| Bakersfield, CA | Not published | Not published | 30 days |
| Chula Vista, CA | $150–$300 | Not published | 45 days |
| Fresno, CA | $378 | Not published | 60 days |
| Irvine, CA | $300 | Not published | 30 days |
| Long Beach, CA | $102–$410 | Not published | 60 days |
| Los Angeles, CA | Not published | Not published | 45 days |
| Oakland, CA | $85–$5,083 | Not published | 21 days |
| Riverside, CA | $500 | Not published | 60 days |
| Sacramento, CA | Not published | Not published | 60 days |
| San Diego, CA | $341 | Not published | 60 days |
| San Francisco, CA | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| San Jose, CA | $477–$875 | $125–$290 | 45 days |
| Santa Ana, CA | Not published | Not published | 90 days |
| Stockton, CA | $55 | $179 | 45 days |
| Aurora, CO | $85.25 | $165 | Not published |
| Colorado Springs, CO | Not published | $248–$298 | Not published |
| Denver, CO | $25–$250 | Not published | 60 days |
| Cape Coral, FL | $40 | $91–$105 | 90 days |
| Jacksonville, FL | $100–$200 | $91–$105 | 90 days |
| Miami, FL | $250–$500 | $91–$105 | 30 days |
| Orlando, FL | Not published | $91–$105 | 60 days |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | $400 | $91–$105 | 60 days |
| St. Petersburg, FL | Not published | $91–$105 | Not published |
| Tampa, FL | $50 | $91–$105 | 60 days |
| Atlanta, GA | $50–$600 | $183–$219 | Not published |
| Honolulu, HI | Not published | $50–$100 | Not published |
| Boise, ID | Not published | $35–$80 | 60 days |
| Chicago, IL | $100 | Not published | 21 days |
| Fort Wayne, IN | $15–$50 | $50–$350 | 14 days |
| Indianapolis, IN | Not published | $40–$235 | 45 days |
| Wichita, KS | $75–$525 | Not published | 30 days |
| Lexington, KY | $50 | Not published | 56 days |
| Louisville, KY | $40–$75 | Not published | 60 days |
| New Orleans, LA | $500.50–$750.50 | $25 | 90 days |
| Boston, MA | Not published | Not published | 14 days |
| Detroit, MI | Not published | $250 | 60 days |
| Minneapolis, MN | $170–$1,850 | $150 | 14 days |
| St. Paul, MN | $50–$500 | $75 | 30 days |
| Kansas City, MO | Not published | Not published | 30 days |
| St. Louis, MO | $25 | $20–$50 | 30 days |
| Charlotte, NC | $105–$150 | Not published | 30 days |
| Durham, NC | Not published | $75 | 15 days |
| Greensboro, NC | Not published | $75 | 30 days |
| Raleigh, NC | $150–$350 | $75 | 30 days |
| Winston-Salem, NC | $100–$300 | $75 | 30 days |
| Lincoln, NE | $45 | $180 | 28 days |
| Omaha, NE | Not published | $80 | Not published |
| Jersey City, NJ | Not published | Not published | 60 days |
| Newark, NJ | Not published | Not published | 21 days |
| Albuquerque, NM | Not published | $25–$50 | Not published |
| Henderson, NV | $125 | Not published | 30 days |
| Las Vegas, NV | $50–$300 | Not published | 15 days |
| North Las Vegas, NV | Not published | Not published | 30 days |
| Reno, NV | Not published | Not published | 15 days |
| Buffalo, NY | Not published | $106–$150 | 90 days |
| New York City, NY | $25–$66,000 | $70 | 14 days |
| Cincinnati, OH | $250–$500 | $175 | Not published |
| Cleveland, OH | Not published | $130 | 14 days |
| Columbus, OH | Not published | $113 | 60 days |
| Toledo, OH | Not published | $164.75 | 30 days |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $25–$100 | $50–$250 | 30 days |
| Tulsa, OK | $80–$242 | $50–$250 | 30 days |
| Portland, OR | $100 | $210 | 45 days |
| Philadelphia, PA | $25 | Not published | 90 days |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $25 | $55 | 20 days |
| Memphis, TN | $50 | $11.25–$30 | 20 days |
| Nashville, TN | $565–$785 | $30 | 45 days |
| Arlington, TX | Not published | $52 | 90 days |
| Austin, TX | Not published | $52–$62 | 4 days |
| Corpus Christi, TX | $100 | $52 | 60 days |
| Dallas, TX | $50–$700 | $87–$134 | 30 days |
| El Paso, TX | $137–$377 | Not published | 30 days |
| Fort Worth, TX | $300 | Not published | 60 days |
| Frisco, TX | $150 | $52 | 30 days |
| Garland, TX | $175 | $100 | 45 days |
| Houston, TX | $67.13 | $52 | 30 days |
| Irving, TX | $375 | Not published | 90 days |
| Laredo, TX | Not published | $52 | Not published |
| Lubbock, TX | $60–$100 | $52 | 10 days |
| McKinney, TX | $100 | $52 | 60 days |
| Plano, TX | Not published | $50 | Not published |
| San Antonio, TX | Not published | $52 | 30 days |
| Chesapeake, VA | $0–$100 | $40 | 30 days |
| Richmond, VA | Not published | $40 | 45 days |
| Virginia Beach, VA | Not published | $40 | 60 days |
| Seattle, WA | $342 | $126–$441 | 60 days |
| Madison, WI | Not published | Not published | 15 days |
| Milwaukee, WI | Not published | Not published | 30 days |
How we built this.
- Every figure comes from an official city, county or state page, read on 2026-10-10. Each place's page lists its sources.
- Event permit fee: the lowest and highest standard fee to apply for or get the permit, leaving out late, rush, road-closure, rental, per-vendor, service and nonprofit-discount amounts.
- Food vendor permit: what one food vendor pays for a single event; organizer and sponsor fees are left out.
- Deadline: the shortest application deadline the place states. Weeks count as 7 days, months as 30, business days as 7 for every 5.
- A model pulled numbers from the fee text, any number not in the text was rejected, and every row was then checked by hand.
- Not legal advice. Fees and deadlines change; confirm with the office before you apply.
Free to use with credit to bzar (CC BY 4.0). Download the CSV.
Common questions.
How much does a special event permit cost?
Among the 73 places that publish one, the median starting fee is $100. 3 charge nothing for the application, and big-city fees for large street events can run into the thousands.
How far ahead do I need to apply for an event permit?
The median deadline is 45 days before the event. 43 of 111 places ask for 60 days or more and 16 ask for 90 or more, so start as soon as you have a date.
How much does a temporary food permit cost for a vendor?
For one event, the median is $52 across the 76 places that publish it. Several states charge a flat fee that covers a vendor for the whole year.
Plan the paperwork, then run the event on bzar.
Free for organizers: vendor applications with required documents, booth payments, tickets and check-in.