Special Event Permits
What are the fees associated with this permit?
The application fee is currently $65. There is a $500 security deposit required for most events which is refundable. Depending on the type of event there could be other fees for direct costs related to security, fire, EMS, or street closure costs. Rental fees of parks or other city facilities may apply as well.
Why does the city require insurance for my event? They already have insurance!
The insurance that the City has covers events held and supervised by City staff. This permit application is for events held by third party organizations. This additional insurance coverage protects the City from liability during events that are ran by other organizations. It also protects the organizations who might not be able to pay off a large claim if they don’t have insurance coverage or their coverage doesn’t apply on city property or some other reason.
I want to have a party! Do I need a permit??
Permits are required for block parties or parties that are open to the public. This applies to public and private property. Private parties that are not open to the public to attend are exempt from permitting. There are state laws related to parking and a city noise ordinance among other things that would apply.
The ordinance requires lots of plans to be submitted like site plans, fire protection plans, and parking plan. What are these and how do I complete them?
The ordinance explains each required plan and what type of information the city is trying to learn. Every event is unique and many times a required plan might be simple. For instance, a site plan can easily be created on Google Maps or hand drawn to show where different things will be located at the site (Bathrooms, food trucks, games, etc). We don’t need to know what vendor will be in each spot. We just need to know that a certain area will have vendor booths.
A fire plan might include making sure that food trucks on site have a fire extinguisher (they should already!) and to call 911 in case of an emergency.
A security plan might include talking to vendors about how they are keeping their money secure and not leave any valuables unattended along with calling 911 if there is an emergency.
An EMS plan might include having an organizer who has a current First Aid and CPR certification along with calling 911 if there is an emergency.
If you wanted to launch fireworks and have alcohol your event might need to have off duty police, fire, and EMS paid for by the organizer at the event.
It really depends on what type of event you are having. City staff members and the Venus Fire Department will review plans and provide advice and assistance if needed to ensure a safe event.
The ordinance requires a sanitation plan covering trash and bathrooms, but people will only be at my event for a few minutes. Do I have to provide bathrooms?
Bathrooms would be required for any event. Even if customers aren’t expected to stay long where would the vendors go to the bathroom? There are many options depending on where your site is. Porta potties can be rented by the organizer, the Civic Center can be rented, or private companies can give written permission to use their facilities. If the Civic Center is used for bathrooms only a bathroom attendant would need to be provided, but that could be a volunteer that can sit in the lobby of the Civic Center and make sure no one damages anything in the building.
If you have questions about an event that you want to hold questions can be sent to permits@cityofvenus.org. Please provide a phone number and as much information as you can related to the event you want to hold. Please allow us some time to answer as the questions might have to be sent to different departments for an answer.