Elkhart County, IN Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Elkhart County Code § 93.024
- Permit issuer
- Director of the Park Department
- Maximum fine
- Up to $1,000 per violation (§ 93.999)
- After-hours vehicles
- Towed; owner billed for towing/storage
- Adopted
- Ordinance 12-177, passed April 16, 2012
- Enforcement
- Deputized county park rangers
Summary
Elkhart County requires a written reservation agreement before anyone can occupy a park shelter or facility posted as reserved for an organized function, and a Park Department permit before using any park outside posted access hours. Entrance and use fees set by the Park Board must be paid up front unless the visitor is exempt, and county park rangers enforce the rules under Ordinance 12-177.
(A) Any use of any park area or facility outside the posted access hours is prohibited without a written permit issued by the Director of the Park Department. ... (C) No person shall use or occupy any park shelter or facility while posted as reserved for some specific organized function or group of persons unless such person has been authorized to do so by the responsible person designated in the written reservation agreement. (D) If the Park Board has established a fee for entrance to a park area or facility, no person shall enter or use such park area or facility without first having paid such fee unless such person is an employee of the Park Department or exempt from the fee by resolution of the Park Board.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-23: Supplement contains: Current through local legislation passed on or before July 31, 2025; and State Legislation current through 2025 Indiana Legislative Service, Pamphlet #3).
Full Breakdown
024, part of the Rules Governing the Use by the Public of Park and Recreation Facilities subchapter, controls who can use a reserved county park shelter or attend a permitted event on Park Board property. Anyone who wants to use a park area or facility outside its posted access hours must first get a written permit from the Director of the Park Department; a vehicle left in the park after hours without that permit can be towed without further notice, and the registered owner is billed for towing and storage.
Once a shelter, pavilion or other facility is posted as reserved for a specific organized function or group, no one else may use or occupy it unless the person named as responsible in the written reservation agreement authorizes them to be there. If the Park Board has set an entrance or use fee for a park area or facility, visitors must pay it before entering unless they are Park Department employees or the Board has passed a resolution exempting them. C. 34-28-5. Reservation requests and fee schedules are handled through the County Park and Recreation Board and Park Department office.
Violations & Fines
Occupying a shelter reserved by someone else, entering a park after posted hours without a Park Department permit, or refusing to pay a Park Board entrance fee violates § 93.024 and is punishable under § 93.999(A)(1) by a fine of up to $1,000. Park rangers deputized by the Park Board issue citations under I.C. 34-28-5 and I.C. 9-30-3-6; unauthorized after-hours vehicles are towed at the registered owner's expense, who also owes storage fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to reserve a shelter at an Elkhart County park?
Can I use a county park after its posted hours close?
What happens if someone uses a shelter I reserved without permission?
Does the county charge an entrance fee for parks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Elkhart County
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