Fort Collins, CO Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)

Sec. 23-202 defines a 'group event' in a City recreation area as one 'reasonably expected to include as participants or spectators one hundred (100) or more persons,' or any activity that independently qualifies as a special event under Sec. 5's separate requirements also apply. Sec. 23-203(d)(12) makes it unlawful to 'conduct or sponsor a group event in a recreation area' without a permit from the Department. The permit process sits in Sec. 23-204: an applicant files a verified application with the Parks Department at least ten business days before the activity, though the Director can accept a late filing if there is enough time and staff to process it.

The Director must approve, conditionally approve or deny the application, and may impose 'reasonable requirements concerning the time, place and manner' of the event, or deny it outright, to protect the safety and well-being of people, animals, the recreation area itself, other City property, public use and enjoyment of the area, or the City's operational needs. A denial or unfavorable condition can be appealed to the City Manager under Article VI of Chapter 2; if the denial targets an event involving speech or expressive conduct that may be protected by the First Amendment, the applicant does not have to exhaust that administrative appeal first and can go straight to court.

This recreation-area process is distinct from the Natural Areas Department's parallel permit under Sec. 23-194, which requires 21 to 90 business days' notice and a 15-business-day decision deadline; an organizer planning an event on Natural Areas property, rather than a City park, golf course or trail, needs that separate process instead.