Extension of Street Fair Moratorium for Calendar Year 2027
Rule status: Proposed
Agency: CECM-SAPO
Comment by date: November 23, 2026
Printable Version of Proposed Rule Text
225794_SAPO-Proposed-Extension-of-Street-Fair-Moratorium-Preliminary-Certifications-10.21.26-1.pdf
The Office of Citywide Events Coordination and Management (CECM), which oversees the Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO), administers New York City’s permit system for street activities, including block parties and fairs. Send comments by Attendees who need reasonable accommodation for a disability such as a sign language translation should contact the agency by calling 1 (212) 788-0025 or emailing [email protected] by November 17, 2026 November 24, 2026
Each year SAPO issues permits to over 200 street fairs and over 5,000 other events, most of which include the use of multiple blocks over several days, the erection of structures, the vending of food, apparel and other goods, the use of amplified sound, and the performance of music.
To ensure the safety and proper order of these events, members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) must be on-site. This diverts resources from regular NYPD assignments and increases overtime costs to the City. These events also divert the NYPD from core crime fighting, public safety and counter-terrorism duties.
To more effectively deploy police resources and control overtime costs, the NYPD has recommended that SAPO exercise its discretion to deny permit applications for new events in calendar year 2027. The proposed rules will authorize SAPO to deny permit applications for street fairs that are more than one block in length and one day in duration if the street fair was not held in Calendar Year 2026. Events that received permits in Calendar Year 2026 may be eligible to receive permits again in Calendar Year 2027.
SAPO will continue to accept applications for new street fairs that are no more than one block in length and one day in duration.
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Online comments: 2
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Alejandro Epifanio Torres
Comment added October 23, 2026 10:02amAs Executive and Artistic Director of Loisaida, Inc., organizers of the annual Loisaida Festival for nearly four decades, I support the proposed extension of the Street Fair Moratorium through 2027.
Even before the moratorium was established, NYPD resources dedicated to ensuring public safety at our large-scale street festival were already scarce. We recognize the challenges of limited staffing and competing public safety priorities, and believe that expanding the number of permitted street fairs without adequate resources could further compromise the safety of attendees, vendors, performers, and surrounding communities.
While supporting this extension, I strongly encourage the City to prioritize adequate NYPD support for longstanding, community-based cultural events that are integral to New York City’s identity, heritage, and neighborhood traditions. Preserving these celebrations must go hand in hand with ensuring the public’s safety.
Alejandro Epifanio Torres
Comment attachment
Executive & Artistic Director
Loisaida, Inc.
Loisaida_Inc_Public_Comment_Street_Fair_Moratorium_2027.pdf -
Eric Peterson
Comment added October 23, 2026 1:34pmPlease do not extend the moratorium. Allow new events and organizers to try out novel events and programs. Incumbents should not hold a monopoly on street fairs in a city as dynamic as NYC. If police overtime and availability are a concern, allow events to reimburse the OT, or develop less labor-intensive traffic control measures.
Comments close by November 23, 2026