Clarksville, TN Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Base permit
- Parks and Recreation Department
- Park use
- Adds a separate users fee
- Fee set by
- Parks and rec committee
- Extra costs
- City may seek reimbursement
- Fine
- $50 per violation, per day
Summary
Any group that wants to use a Clarksville public park or recreation area for a carnival, fair, festival or similar event needs the same parks and recreation department permit required citywide, plus a separate users fee or rent set by the parks and recreation committee for the park space itself.
No carnival, circus, menagerie, fair, festival, or parade, nor any similar show or exhibition, nor component thereof, shall operate within the city corporate limits without a permit obtained from the city department of parks and recreation... Persons, businesses, organizations or entities who receive an approved permit from the department of parks and recreation for events or activities specified herein that make use in whole or in part of any city public park or recreation area shall pay a users fee or rent in an amount determined by the parks and recreation committee of the city council. In addition to the users fee or rent, the city may contract with the other party for the payment or reimbursement of any costs the city is expected to sustain or incur due to the event or activity, if such costs are connected to the event or activity and represent costs beyond normal city operating costs.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 110 Update 2 | Zoning Ordinance: Supplement 6).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 5-1001 of the Official Code layers a second charge on top of the base event permit whenever the event uses city park or recreation property. Any person, business, organization or entity that receives the parks and recreation department's permit and puts a city park or recreation area to use, in whole or in part, for the event must pay a users fee or rent, with the amount set by the parks and recreation committee of the city council rather than a flat rate in the code.
Beyond that fee, the city can separately contract with the organizer for reimbursement of costs the city expects to incur because of the event, so long as those costs are tied to the event and go beyond the city's normal day-to-day operating expenses, such as extra cleanup, staffing or traffic control for a large festival. The department of parks and recreation is also authorized to write its own rules governing how permit holders use parks, recreation areas and other city property during the event, giving it ongoing control over conduct on the grounds beyond the initial approval.
As with every event covered by this chapter, the chief of police can close streets around the park at his discretion and can order the event to end early for public safety, and any city law enforcement officer can cite a violator directly.
Violations & Fines
Using a city park or recreation area for a permitted event without paying the required users fee, or without honoring a cost-reimbursement agreement for extra city expenses, is a violation of Sec. 5-1001 enforced the same way as the base permit rule: a citation from any city law enforcement officer, tried in city court, with a fifty-dollar ($50.00) civil fine for each violation and each day counted separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the park users fee the same as the event permit fee?
Can Clarksville bill me for cleanup after a park event?
Who sets the rules for what I can do in the park during my event?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Clarksville
Compare Clarksville to another location·View the Tennessee special events & permits overview
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