Written by Renton is implementing a new Special Event Permitting process to formalize and better organize the way we approve such events (and to help recoup costs). City Council spent forty-five minutes going over this ordinance on Monday getting it ready for final reading and adoption.
The permit application fee will be 50 dollars, and the forms and instructions will be available online.
This new Special Event Permit may be all you need for your event, or it may point you to additional fire, street use, or other permits you may need– depending on the nature of your special event.
We already require street and fire permits for special events, but until now these permits have been handled separately by individual departments and it has lead to confusion on the part of citizens and city staff. For instance, we have had occasions where one department has granted a permit for one aspect of an event (such as a fire permit for a special tent), only to find that other elements of the event (like transportation planning) are not workable. Or, we’ve seen special city events piled on top of each other, using the same road capacity and spreading services thinner than we would like.
The new Special Event Permits will make sure all of the events get added to a master city calender, and that all of the affected departments get word that an event is coming. This will enable individual departments to help event organizers figure out what additional accommodations and permits they will need, and should make event planning less chaotic all around.
The applications are requested at least 90 days prior to the event, but this deadline can be waived if it can be shown that the event could not have been planned that far in advance; for instance, a protest parade of a sudden political action, or a labor rally during a strike might qualify for a shorter approval period since they could not be anticipated. On the other hand, if you are planning a Thanksgiving Day Parade, we’ll be asking you to let us know at least 90 days ahead of time–preferably more if possible.
You won’t generally need a special event permit if your activity is being held on private property (like a church or hall) that has already been approved for the assembly of people in the numbers you expect to host. So a church having a block party in it’s parking lot would generally not need a permit. But if it’s an unusual use of private property, such as a circus coming to town and setting up at your church or assembly site, you would need to check with the city about the special event permit (and you would likely need fire and other permits as well.)
Below are some excerpts from the ordinance which give additional details about when the Special Event Permit will be required. At the bottom of the page I have a link to a PDF of the whole document.
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