Sonoma County, CA Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit trigger
- 25 or more persons
- Issuing authority
- county park authority
- Applies to
- unincorporated county parks only
- Default penalty
- misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine
Summary
Any meeting, gathering, picnic, celebration, parade, or similar assembly of 25 or more people in a county park requires a written permit from the park authority before it happens. Smaller groups need no permit.
No person shall hold, conduct, participate in, attend or address any meeting, organized gatherings or assemblage, group, picnic, celebration, parade, service or exercise of twenty-five (25) or more persons, in any park or recreation area without a written permit granted by the park authority.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 64 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Sonoma County Code § 20-20 bars holding, conducting, participating in, or attending any meeting, organized gathering, assemblage, group, picnic, celebration, parade, service, or exercise of twenty-five or more persons in a park or recreation area without a written permit from the park authority. There's no separate fee schedule or application process spelled out in this section; Sec. 20-24 lets the Board of Supervisors set park fees by resolution generally. This governs county-operated parks in unincorporated Sonoma County only: the nine incorporated cities inside the county, including Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Rohnert Park and the City of Sonoma, run their own park facilities under their own municipal codes.
Violations & Fines
No violation-specific penalty is set for Sec. 20-20, so the code's general enforcement provision applies: a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000, imprisonment up to six months, or both, per Sonoma County Code § 1-7(c).
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a small family picnic in a Sonoma County park?
Does this rule cover parks in Santa Rosa or the City of Sonoma?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sonoma County
California rules heatmap·Compare Sonoma County to another location·View the California special events & permits overview
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