Benton County, AR Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)

Chapter VII, Sec. B lists the criteria a temporary use must meet, together, to skip Planning Board review entirely: the use or structure runs no more than 30 days in a calendar year, does not displace required parking, does not exceed 120 square feet if a structure is involved, and does not sell or display toxic, hazardous or flammable material. The section's own list of examples names 'special events and activities conducted on public property, such as school sites and public parks' as a qualifying exemption, alongside religious or nonprofit events on their own lot, residential garage sales, revivals and family gatherings, and agritourism activities defined in Chapter III.

Because a park event is already on public land rather than the applicant's private property, the Planning Department treats it under this public-property carve-out rather than the private-property criterion that applies to most other exempt uses. A qualifying park event needs no Temporary Use Permit, no application fee, and no Planning Board hearing. Organizers should still confirm the event will not create noise, traffic or hazardous-material issues that could pull it back into Sec. D review, and should not assume the exemption covers activities that exceed the 30-day annual limit or that involve toxic or flammable materials, both of which void the exemption regardless of the public location.