As Monterey County officials prepare for 2026 Car Week, off-calendar events remain a challenge.

From the Pebble Beach auction to Astons on the Avenue, 39 events are listed on the official calendar for this year’s Car Week. But beyond the litany of events staggered across 10 days, another layer of off-calendar soirees are hosted in the folds of Carmel Valley, at private homes in Pebble Beach and elsewhere in Monterey County.

How to keep track of such events across cities and unincorporated Monterey County, while ensuring that proper permits are obtained and enforced, has been a continuing challenge. In previous years, officials have acknowledged they don’t have a full picture of all of the events that descend on the region for Car Week – no one agency tracks them all.

“Over the past several years, we have noticed an increase in applications to allow the ‘assemblages of people’ also known as ‘special events,’” according to a written statement from the County Housing and Community Development Department.

So far, the County has received a handful of permit applications for “assemblages of people” for 2026. Four of those applications, all for events in Pebble Beach, are scheduled to be considered by the County Zoning Administrator on Thursday, July 30.

HCD records show seven approved permit applications tied to official Car Week events, including the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion; The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering; and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

“One of the biggest challenges is getting event organizers to apply in a timely manner,” HCD staff say, adding that the application process can take anywhere from four to six months. “Each of the departments are looking at the application from a public health, life and safety standpoint, as well as consistency with any required County regulations.” Factors reviewed include evacuation routes and tent structure safety.

That parties fly under the radar is nothing new, and many locals accept this along with the economic boon of tourism. Countywide, travel spending reached $3.3 billion in 2025, a 4-percent increase from the previous year, according to See Monterey, the county tourism bureau.

Last year, a private event thrown by McLaren International, Inc. and agent BMF Media Group at the Carmel Valley home of OpenAI executive Fidji Simo and her husband, chocolatier Remy Miralles, resulted in $760,000 in County fines for alleged permitting violations. That dispute also led to ongoing litigation between the homeowners and the event organizers, which returned to Monterey County Superior Court after a federal court dismissed proceedings. (The next hearing is scheduled for October.)

“Our department is typically reactive,” says Josh Bowling, assistant director for HCD. Code enforcement works with the Sheriff’s Office to respond to complaints, often utilizing social media as a tool to confirm events are taking place before conducting site visits and issue violations.

Of the McLaren event from 2025, Bowling says, “We wouldn’t expect them to be having an event this year. They’ve been put on notice.”