# Vendor event permits in Stamford, CT

In Stamford, CT, Cashiering & Permitting issues special event permits through its online portal and also lists street vendor and one-day park vending permits. Sellers need a Connecticut Sales and Use Tax Permit, and food vendors get a permit from the local health department. Confirm fees and lead times with the city.

_Sources checked 2026-10-11. Not legal or tax advice; confirm with each agency._

## For the organizer: Event permit

### Special Event Application
Cashiering & Permitting issues special event permits, and organizers file the Special Event Application through the city's online permit portal. The same portal has applications for park pavilions, a showmobile (mobile stage) and parking meter rental. The city has minimum certificate of insurance requirements for all special events and park permits.
- Who: organizer
- From: City of Stamford Cashiering & Permitting
- When: Special events on city property; the page does not list size thresholds, fees or lead times
- Official page: https://www.stamfordct.gov/government/administration/cashiering-permitting

## For vendors: Vendor and business licenses

### Street Vendor Permit and One Day Vending Permit in Parks
The city lists a Street Vendor Permit application and a One Day Vending Permit in Parks among the permits it issues through its online portal. The page does not give fees or conditions.
- Who: vendors
- From: City of Stamford Cashiering & Permitting
- When: Vending in the city; the page does not say how these apply to vendors at a permitted market, so confirm with the office
- Official page: https://www.stamfordct.gov/government/administration/cashiering-permitting

## For vendors: Sales tax

### Sales and Use Tax Permit
A permit is required for individuals and businesses alike regardless of how many sales are made, except for casual or isolated sales. Register online through myconneCT, display the permit at the booth or table, and note that selling without one carries fines.
- Who: vendors
- From: Connecticut Department of Revenue Services
- When: Anyone selling at a flea market, craft show, trade show, antique show or fair, even for one day
- Fee: There is a $100 fee for registering to collect sales and use tax.
- Official page: https://portal.ct.gov/drs/sales-tax/tax-information

## For vendors: Food vendors

### Local food service or itinerant permit for events
The state sends vendors to the local health department serving the town for food service licensing, since procedures vary by town. County fairs, carnivals and music festivals are temporary events outside the itinerant reciprocal permit, so vendors register with the event coordinator and get approvals from the local health department.
- Who: vendors
- From: Local health department of the town where the event is held (Connecticut Department of Public Health oversees)
- When: Food vendors at fairs, carnivals, festivals and other temporary events
- Official page: https://portal.ct.gov/dph/food-protection-program/itinerant-food-vendors

## Where the sources are unclear

- The temporary food entry is Connecticut's statewide guidance, which sends vendors to the local health department of the town where the event is held; Stamford's own health department page could not be read, so fee and lead time are not listed.
- Connecticut sales tax comes from the Connecticut state entry; the state page names no duty for event organizers about vendors' sales tax.
- Stamford's Cashiering & Permitting page lists the applications by name only; the portal (stamfordct.viewpointcloud.com) and the insurance requirements PDF were not read, so no fees, lead times or insurance minimums are stated.

## Questions

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

Special Event Application (City of Stamford Cashiering & Permitting): Cashiering & Permitting issues special event permits, and organizers file the Special Event Application through the city's online permit portal. The same portal has applications for park pavilions, a showmobile (mobile stage) and parking meter rental. The city has minimum certificate of insurance requirements for all special events and park permits.

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

Street Vendor Permit and One Day Vending Permit in Parks (City of Stamford Cashiering & Permitting): The city lists a Street Vendor Permit application and a One Day Vending Permit in Parks among the permits it issues through its online portal. The page does not give fees or conditions.

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

Sales and Use Tax Permit (Connecticut Department of Revenue Services): A permit is required for individuals and businesses alike regardless of how many sales are made, except for casual or isolated sales. Register online through myconneCT, display the permit at the booth or table, and note that selling without one carries fines.

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

Local food service or itinerant permit for events (Local health department of the town where the event is held (Connecticut Department of Public Health oversees)): The state sends vendors to the local health department serving the town for food service licensing, since procedures vary by town. County fairs, carnivals and music festivals are temporary events outside the itinerant reciprocal permit, so vendors register with the event coordinator and get approvals from the local health department.

## Sources

- https://www.stamfordct.gov/government/administration/cashiering-permitting
- https://portal.ct.gov/drs/sales-tax/tax-information
- https://portal.ct.gov/dph/food-protection-program/itinerant-food-vendors
- https://portal.ct.gov/dph/food-protection-program/food-service-licensing

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