Salt Lake County, UT Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Section
- §14.56.080(A)(3)
- Reviewer
- Parks & recreation division
- Trigger
- Event at county park/rec center
- Penalty if unpermitted
- Class B misdemeanor (§14.56.140)
- Area
- Unincorporated county parks only
Summary
A gathering at a Salt Lake County park or recreation center that qualifies as a special event cannot be permitted until the county parks and recreation division has reviewed the application. Section 14.56.080(A) routes every special event application through a set of reviewing agencies, and holding the event without approval is a class B misdemeanor.
Upon receipt of a special event permit application, the permits section shall circulate copies of the application to the following agencies for the purpose of obtaining their approval or denial of the proposed special event:1.Salt Lake Valley Health Department;2.Salt Lake County sheriffs office;3.Salt Lake County parks and recreation division if the special event is to be held at a county park or recreation center;
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 49).
Full Breakdown
Under §14.56.080(A), when the permits section receives a special event permit application it must circulate copies to a list of agencies for the purpose of obtaining their approval or denial. The Salt Lake Valley Health Department and the Salt Lake County sheriff's office review applications, and the parks and recreation division is added under subsection (A)(3) whenever the event is to be held at a county park or recreation center, with the engineering division weighing in where relevant. Each reviewing agency may impose conditions to protect traffic, security, health and safety before the permit issues, so a park event can end up approved subject to requirements from several departments at once, not just parks staff.
The review requirement reaches only county-run parks and recreation centers in the unincorporated area. A park owned by an incorporated city is reserved under that city's own rules, and this chapter does not govern it. For an organizer, the practical sequence is that the permits section, not the parks division, is the front door: the application goes in there, and the parks review happens as part of the circulation the section is required to run.
Violations & Fines
Holding a qualifying park gathering without the permits section's approval is treated as an unpermitted special event, a class B misdemeanor under §14.56.140.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need approval to hold a large gathering at a county park?
Which agencies see my application?
Can the county attach conditions to my park event?
Does this cover city parks too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake County
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