Manitou Springs, CO Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)

Municipal Code Chapter 12.24 defines a "park" as any developed recreational area or facility, including fields and shelters, that the city owns, leases or operates for public use (Section 12.24.020). A private event, such as a birthday party, reunion or wedding held on park property but not open to the general public, requires appropriate approval from the city under Section 12.24.030(C). If the private event needs a street closure, the applicant must obtain a full permit under Chapter 12.24, following the same application, fee, deposit and insurance process that governs parades and demonstrations.

If the private gathering does not require closing a street, the city instead routes the reservation through its facilities use policy, a separate administrative document the city council can expand by resolution to cover any specific public property. A special event open to the general public and held in a park, such as a fundraiser, festival or race, is a "special event" under Section 12.24.020 and needs a special event permit under Section 12.24.030(A) regardless of whether a street closes, following the same 90-day-to-one-year (minor) or six-month-to-one-year (major) filing deadlines set out in Section 12.24.040.

Fees, refundable cleanup deposits, and the events coordinator's review under the denial criteria of Section 12.24.050 apply to any park reservation processed as a permit. Violating Chapter 12.24 permit terms, or holding a qualifying event without the required permit, is punishable under Section 12.24.150 and Chapter 1.16's general penalty provisions.