Get a permit to close a street for a special event

We will ask you about:

• Who is organizing the event (individual or business)
• Event type (party, festival, street fair, etc)
• Audience and activities
• Location
• Dates and times
• Expected numbers of attendees
• Traffic and parking needs
• Temporary structures (tents, inflatables, fencing, bleachers, stages, etc)
• Security needs
• Hazardous items or activities (cooking, open flame, generators, etc)

We will review your submission in 1 to 2 days and let you know about the permits you'll need in addition to one from SFMTA.

If you have already completed the intake form, skip to Step 4 to apply for your permit.

A site plan is a drawing showing the event’s layout.

Your plan does not need to be drawn by a design or engineering professional. But it does need to be accurate and to scale for us to assess your plan.

Upload the site plan with your permit application.

Learn how to prepare a site plan.

After completing the intake form, you will submit a permit application directly to ISCOTT - the Interdepartmental Staff Council on Traffic and Transportation - to close the street.

Many events will require permits from other agencies. We will tell you which other permits you'll need after you complete step 2, the intake form.

Pay for the permit fee online. Email SpecialEvents@sfmta.com if you need to pay the fee with a check or money order, or if a City office is going to pay your application fee. Payments are non-refundable.

Cost: $573.

We do offer fee waivers for some events

You’ll need a permit from the Entertainment Commission if you plan to have entertainment or amplified sound. This could be live or recorded music or sound.

By completing the pre-application form, you'll get a list of the permits you'll need.

Many events will require permits from other agencies.

We will tell you which other permits you'll need after you complete step 2, the intake form.

Talk with the businesses, neighbors, and community near the event because it can impact their ability to get deliveries, find parking, or bring more foot traffic to their businesses.

Special Events staff will email you with instructions on how and where to post a public notice on your street and the notice to be posted. The notice will include basic information on your requested event and has contact information for neighbors to reach out to the City if they have concerns.

• The posting will need to be up for 7 days. See a sample notice.
• Complete a form confirming that you posted the notice. Take photos as proof. Email the form and photos back to Special Events staff.
• You are responsible for removing the notices after 7 days.

We review Street Closure permits two different ways, depending on your event.

If your event meets all the following criteria, we’ll review your permit application once it’s complete:

1. Will be contained within 3 blocks;
2. Will not close any intersections; and
3. Will not require the rerouting of any SFMTA vehicles.

If your event does not meet all the above criteria, we review your application at a public hearing of ISCOTT, the Interdepartmental Staff Committee on Traffic and Transportation.

• Hearings are conducted online (via Microsoft Teams). They are twice monthly (except in November), starting at 9:00 AM on Thursdays.
• You’ll be notified of your hearing date at least one week in advance. Whenever possible, we will work with you to a select a hearing date that's best for you.
• At the hearing:
  • Give a brief presentation (1-3 minutes) describing your event, location, and activities
  • Answer questions from City departments

After hearing your presentation, public comments, and addressing any concerns, the Committee will vote to approve or deny your application.

Time: 5 - 10 business days

ISCOTT staff will email you the approved permit.

Cost: $343 and up

Time: at least 2 weeks before the event

Most special events will require “No Parking” signs from SFMTA

Whether or not you post “No Parking,” you still need to allow some local access.

During the event:

• If someone needs to move a car parked on the street, help them exit safely through the barricades.
• You must allow access to driveways and garages. If someone needs to drive in or out, walk them through the event to keep everyone safe.
• Don’t let new cars enter to park on the street once it is closed.
• Don’t allow any delivery vehicles access to the block.
• Emergency vehicles and official paratransit vehicles must always be allowed safe access.

Rent A-frame barricades (Type I or II) and cones from a private vendor or SF Public Works. After your permit is approved, email dpweventrequest@sfdpw.org to rent them from SF Public Works.

Equip barricades with flashing lights if your event goes past dark.

Refer to your approved site plan when you set them up, but remember:

• Put the barricades no more than 6 feet apart, from curb to curb. There should be no gap wide enough for a car to drive through. Barricades should be on the side of the crosswalk closest to the intersection. Put a “Road Closed” sign on a barricade facing oncoming traffic.
• You are responsible for setting up, monitoring, and removing the barricades.

If your event isn’t closing the full length of a block, put barricades to separate the event from the open part of the block.

Guide to street barricades for special events

Contact SpecialEventSF@sfgov.org for general questions about special events and SpecialEvents@sfmta.com for questions about the street closure.