# Vendor event permits in Herndon, VA

In Herndon, organizers of events on Town-controlled downtown sites file a Downtown Event Application ($50) by quarterly deadlines, carry at least $2 million in liability insurance, and obtain a Temporary Business license. Food vendors need a Fairfax County health permit, and vendors file Virginia temporary sales tax certificates (ST-50).

_Sources checked 2026-10-10. Not legal or tax advice; confirm with each agency._

## For the organizer: Event permit

### Downtown Event Application (Town-owned event spaces)
The applicant submits site, public safety and security, and set-up and clean-up plans with the application, signs a Downtown Event Contract after approval, and pays a 50% deposit on signing. The organizer must secure the needed permits and insurance, including a Temporary Business license, and give copies to the Town at least 30 days before the event.
- Who: organizer
- From: Town of Herndon, Events
- When: Events on Town-controlled downtown sites such as the Town Green, Town Hall Square and Lynn Street municipal lots. The pages read do not cover markets wholly on private property; the Town's permit list also points to a Temporary Use Permit.
- Fee: $50 non-refundable application fee; Town Green base rate for 4 hours $400 resident or $600 non-resident for individuals and businesses ($200 or $300 for non-profits)
- Timing: Quarterly deadlines: for example, events from July 1 to September 30, 2026 had to be submitted by April 1, 2026; insurance and permit copies are due 30 days before the event
- Official page: https://www.herndon-va.gov/residents/events/plan-an-event/application-process-and-deadlines

## For the organizer: Other rules

### Event liability insurance
Organizers must provide a certificate and endorsement naming the Town as additional insured for the whole event, at least 30 days before it.
- Who: organizer
- From: Town of Herndon, Events
- When: Downtown events on Town-controlled sites
- Fee: General liability of no less than $2,000,000 without alcohol; no less than $5,000,000 if alcohol will be present
- Official page: https://www.herndon-va.gov/residents/events/plan-an-event/application-process-and-deadlines/permits-and-insurance

## For vendors: Vendor and business licenses

### Temporary Business license / Town business license (BPOL)
The permits and insurance page lists a Temporary Business license among the permits an organizer must obtain; the general BPOL page covers licenses for businesses operating in town, applied for by email, in person or by mail to Revenue Services. Ask Revenue Services what applies to one-day vendors.
- Who: organizer and vendors
- From: Town of Herndon Revenue Services
- When: The Town's event page says the organizer must secure a Temporary Business license for the event. Under Town Code Sec. 30-212, anyone engaging in business in Herndon needs a business license unless exempt, within 30 days of starting operations. The pages read do not say whether individual vendors in a permitted event need their own license.
- Fee: General BPOL tax: $30 for gross receipts $0 to $50,000; $50 for $50,000 to $100,000 (no temporary license fee stated)
- Official page: https://www.herndon-va.gov/residents/events/plan-an-event/application-process-and-deadlines/permits-and-insurance

## For vendors: Sales tax

### Temporary Sales Tax Certificate/Return (Form ST-50)
Occasional sellers report and pay the sales tax they collected at an event on Form ST-50, due by the 20th of the month after the event. The form tells sellers who attend 3 or more shows a year to register for a permanent Virginia sales tax account. The rate is 6% in the Northern Virginia localities it lists, and the extra regional 0.7% is not charged on food bought for human consumption.
- Who: vendors
- From: Virginia Department of Taxation
- When: Vendors without a permanent Virginia sales tax account who sell taxable goods at an event
- Official page: https://www.tax.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/taxforms/retail-sales-and-use/any/st-50-any.pdf

## For vendors: Food vendors

### Temporary Food Establishment Permit (TFEP)
The event coordinator registers the event in the county's PLUS portal and lists the participating food vendors with a layout map showing toilets and waste disposal. Each vendor then applies online and is subject to inspection; the county's packet says it assesses a one-time $40 fee per vendor that is valid for the calendar year. Permitted Fairfax County restaurants pay no additional application fee.
- Who: organizer and vendors
- From: Fairfax County Health Department, Environmental Health Services
- When: Vendors preparing and serving food at a temporary event in Herndon, which is in Fairfax County; events of up to 14 consecutive days
- Fee: $40 one-time fee per vendor, valid for the entire calendar year within Virginia (per the Health Department's requirements packet)
- Timing: The completed application and fee must be received at least ten (10) days prior to the event
- Official page: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/permits/temporary-food-establishment

## Where the sources are unclear

- Event-count threshold: the ST-50 form says sellers at 3 or more shows a year must register for a permanent account, while Virginia Tax's festival-season vendor tips page (https://www.tax.virginia.gov/news/vendor-tips-fall-festival-season) says sellers at 3 or fewer events can use ST-50 and sellers at more than 3 events must register. Confirm with Virginia Tax at (804) 367-8037.
- A 1992 Virginia Tax Commissioner ruling (https://www.tax.virginia.gov/laws-rules-decisions/rulings-tax-commissioner/92-91) says an event organizer may obtain a single temporary sales tax registration covering all sellers at the event; this is an option, not a requirement, and the ruling is old, so confirm with Virginia Tax.
- Herndon's event pages are written for the Town's downtown event spaces; the Temporary Use Permit PDF they list was not read, and the Town did not publish a temporary business license fee on the pages read. Ask Town Events and Revenue Services (revenue@herndon-va.gov).

## Questions

**Do I need a permit to host a vendor market in Herndon?**

Downtown Event Application (Town-owned event spaces) (Town of Herndon, Events): The applicant submits site, public safety and security, and set-up and clean-up plans with the application, signs a Downtown Event Contract after approval, and pays a 50% deposit on signing. The organizer must secure the needed permits and insurance, including a Temporary Business license, and give copies to the Town at least 30 days before the event.

**Do vendors need a license to sell at events in Herndon?**

Temporary Business license / Town business license (BPOL) (Town of Herndon Revenue Services): The permits and insurance page lists a Temporary Business license among the permits an organizer must obtain; the general BPOL page covers licenses for businesses operating in town, applied for by email, in person or by mail to Revenue Services. Ask Revenue Services what applies to one-day vendors.

**Who handles sales tax at a market in Herndon?**

Temporary Sales Tax Certificate/Return (Form ST-50) (Virginia Department of Taxation): Occasional sellers report and pay the sales tax they collected at an event on Form ST-50, due by the 20th of the month after the event. The form tells sellers who attend 3 or more shows a year to register for a permanent Virginia sales tax account. The rate is 6% in the Northern Virginia localities it lists, and the extra regional 0.7% is not charged on food bought for human consumption.

**Do food vendors need a separate permit in Herndon?**

Temporary Food Establishment Permit (TFEP) (Fairfax County Health Department, Environmental Health Services): The event coordinator registers the event in the county's PLUS portal and lists the participating food vendors with a layout map showing toilets and waste disposal. Each vendor then applies online and is subject to inspection; the county's packet says it assesses a one-time $40 fee per vendor that is valid for the calendar year. Permitted Fairfax County restaurants pay no additional application fee.

**How far ahead should I apply in Herndon?**

Temporary Food Establishment Permit (TFEP): The completed application and fee must be received at least ten (10) days prior to the event Downtown Event Application (Town-owned event spaces): Quarterly deadlines: for example, events from July 1 to September 30, 2026 had to be submitted by April 1, 2026; insurance and permit copies are due 30 days before the event

## Sources

- https://www.tax.virginia.gov/sites/default/files/taxforms/retail-sales-and-use/any/st-50-any.pdf
- https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/permits/temporary-food-establishment
- https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/health/sites/health/files/assets/documents/pdf/temporaryeventguidelines43.2.pdf
- https://www.herndon-va.gov/residents/events/plan-an-event/application-process-and-deadlines
- https://www.herndon-va.gov/residents/events/plan-an-event/application-process-and-deadlines/fees
- https://www.herndon-va.gov/residents/events/plan-an-event/application-process-and-deadlines/permits-and-insurance
- https://www.herndon-va.gov/businesses/business-resources/business-licenses

All cities: https://bzar.app/permits