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

120(A) makes the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Director responsible for scheduling and controlling use of parks and park facilities, and requires anyone 18 or older who wants to reserve an athletic field, tennis court, swimming pool, picnic facility, open space area, or other park facility to apply in writing, naming the facility, the proposed use, and the date. A group without a valid permit must surrender the facility to a group that holds one. Subsection (A)(1) lists activities that specifically trigger the permit requirement, including any recurring event (weekly, biweekly, or monthly) drawing more than 50 people per day, the commercial sale of goods or services, the sale or service of alcohol, advertising or commercial activity, use spanning more than one park, amplified sound beyond a personal device, erecting structures like tents or stages, and use of outdoor auxiliary power.

Under subsection (F), requests must be submitted on the City's facility reservation application "not less than ten working days in advance and not more than 18 months of the intended use," though the Director may shorten or extend that window for good cause. If the City issues no written denial or conditional approval within 60 working days of a fully completed application under subsection (K), the permit is deemed conditionally approved by default. The Director may attach conditions under subsection (G) covering event timing, assembly areas, first aid, monitors, vehicle or animal limits, structure inspections, garbage cleanup, amplified sound, and security. Denied, conditioned, or insurance-disputed applicants can appeal in writing to the City Manager within five working days under subsection (C).