Dixmont, ME Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Attendance trigger
- More than 500 people reasonably anticipated
- Filing deadline
- License at least 7 days before the event
- License fee
- $500 to the town
- Issuing body
- The municipal officers
- Daily fine for noncompliance
- $100 per day for each infraction
- Surety bond
- $5,000 for each reasonably expected 1000 persons
Summary
Dixmont requires a license from the municipal officers, applied for at least seven days before the event, for any pageant, amusement show, theatrical performance, music festival or exhibition that more than 500 people are reasonably anticipated to attend with a substantial portion outdoors. The fee is $500 to the town, and landowner, abutter and policing conditions apply.
1. No person shall exhibit, sponsor, hold, promote or operate any pageant, amusement show, theatrical performance, including a music festival or exhibition, which in excess of five hundred (500) people are reasonably anticipated to attend and where a substantial portion of the entertainers of persons attending will be out of doors without first procuring from the municipal officers a license therefore at least seven (7) days prior to the event and payment of the sum of five hundred dollars ($500) to the town therefore. A. Municipal officers must have written verification that the landowner has agreed to the event. B. Every abutting landowner must sign-off that they have been notified and agree to the event. C. The event must describe the time limits; number of days and/or number of hours. D. The applicant must provide adequate policing for the event. ... 4. Any person, directly or indirectly, exhibiting, promoting, sponsoring, operating or holding such event as owner, lessor, lessee, landlord, tenant, operator or entertainer and not complying with this ordinance shall be liable to a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) per day for each infraction,
Full Breakdown
Section 1 of the Dixmont Outdoor Festival Ordinance bars any person from exhibiting, sponsoring, holding, promoting or operating a pageant, amusement show, theatrical performance, including a music festival or exhibition, that in excess of five hundred (500) people are reasonably anticipated to attend, where a substantial portion of the entertainers or persons attending will be out of doors, without first procuring a license from the municipal officers. The license must be procured at least seven (7) days prior to the event, together with payment of five hundred dollars ($500) to the town. The ordinance does not use the word parade and does not address street closures by name; its trigger is crowd size and outdoor setting.
Four application conditions follow in Section 1. Under A, the municipal officers must have written verification that the landowner has agreed to the event. Under B, every abutting landowner must sign off that they have been notified and agree to the event. Under C, the event must describe its time limits, meaning the number of days or hours. Under D, the applicant must provide adequate policing for the event.
Section 2 then bars the municipal officers from granting a license unless the applicant satisfies them that specified facilities will be available, and bars the event if they are not. Potable water must be on premises for each person for each day in the amount of 6 16oz bottles. A portable toilet facility is required for every 35 persons in attendance or expected, with filled hand sanitizers at each toilet facility. Off-street parking must provide at least one car space for each six (6) persons reasonably expected, and a uniformed police officer or constable must direct traffic, with at least one officer for each reasonably expected five hundred (500) persons. A first aid facility with at least one ambulance in attendance is required. Before issuance, the applicant must furnish a corporate surety bond of five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each reasonably expected one thousand (1000) persons, and must file proof of landowner authority and a site plan.
Section 5 adds that the event must adhere to all applicable drug, alcohol and tobacco use policies for public events. The ordinance was adopted May 12, 1970, and the amendment was adopted March 17, 2015.
Violations & Fines
Section 4 makes any person, directly or indirectly, exhibiting, promoting, sponsoring, operating or holding such an event as owner, lessor, lessee, landlord, tenant, operator or entertainer, and not complying with the ordinance, liable to a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) per day for each infraction. That person is also personally responsible for damages to public or private property arising out of the event and is subject to any civil or injunctive relief that is reasonable and proper. Section 2 separately forbids holding the event unless the required facilities are available.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does an event in Dixmont need a license?
How far ahead must the license be obtained and what does it cost?
Do neighbors have a say in whether the event goes ahead?
What facilities and security does the applicant have to provide?
What happens if someone holds a covered event without complying?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dixmont
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