New Berlin, WI Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)

Section 184-4 bars all public meetings, assemblies or public discussion of any subject inside a City park or parkway unless the Parks, Buildings and Grounds Commission issues a written permit, and even then the gathering has to stay within areas the Commission has designated as assembly areas. The same section separately restricts sales and distribution during City-approved special events in parks: no group may sell or distribute merchandise, including printed or written material, at such an event unless it is licensed by the City to do so, and even then only within the Commission's designated assembly areas.

This park-specific permit sits inside the City's broader special event framework at § 152-23. Anyone planning to hold an event on City property, including a park, must first get a Facility Rental Permit from the Recreation Department before applying for the Special Event Permit itself, and if the rental requires a Special Event Permit, the Parks, Buildings and Grounds Commission has to approve the facility rental. Depending on projected attendance, a Special Event Permit filing deadline ranges from 14 days ahead for a Class IV event of 150 people or fewer up to 120 days ahead for a Class I event of more than 5,000 people, and Class I organizers must post a $1,000 deposit against City staff review time.

Related permits can stack on top of the park meeting permit depending on what the gathering involves, including a Temporary Use Approval Permit from Community Development, a Direct Sellers Permit for vendors, or a Fireworks Permit from the Fire Department.