Mountain View, CA Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)

City Code Sec. 3 requires a permit from the Community Services Department for use of any park under Sec. 1, and a facility reservation plus written agreement for use of a city facility under Sec. 2. Sec. 9(a) separately makes it a prohibited activity to occupy any park or facility with a group larger than fifty persons without that permit or reservation. Applicants file per guidelines set by the Community Services Director, who must grant or deny the application within fourteen days of filing unless the applicant waives that deadline in writing, with the decision served personally or by mail.

The Director may deny a permit only on specific enumerated grounds: the activity could incite violence, crime or disorderly conduct; there is insufficient park space left for general public use; the activity would create unusual or burdensome city expense; the police chief finds it would require diverting too many officers; the applicant refuses to agree in writing to the permit conditions; or, for a nonprofit's fundraising event, the group fails to meet the Sec. 1 fundraising conditions. Any denial must specify the grounds. An applicant has five business days from mailing of a denial to file a written appeal to the city manager, who designates a hearing officer; the hearing officer must hold the hearing within five business days of the appeal filing and issue a written decision within seventy-two hours after the hearing, and that decision is final with no further appeal.

Permittees must agree in writing to hold the city harmless, indemnify it for injury or property damage from the activity, and carry insurance in an amount set by the city's risk manager or city attorney. Fees are set by council resolution, and permittees are liable for any damage caused by the activity or its participants. Permits can be revoked for cause, including any misrepresentation in the application, using the same Sec. 3(d) appeal procedure.