Salt Lake County, UT Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Application contents
- Nine items, from event description to applicant's signature
- Filing window
- Encouraged 30 calendar days ahead; no later than 21
- Insurance minimums
- $1M one person, $2M two or more, $1M property damage
- Denial appeal
- Petition the Public Works director within 7 calendar days
- Penalty
- Class B misdemeanor for holding an event without a permit
- Block parties
- Neighbor signatures required; exempt from fees and insurance
- Reviewing agencies
- Health Department, Sheriff, Parks and Recreation, engineering division
Summary
Anyone organizing a special event on county streets, sidewalks or other county property in unincorporated Salt Lake County must file a special event permit application with the county permits section. Section 14.56.080(A) lists nine required items, from the event description and sponsor contacts to a barricade plan, expected crowd size, admission charges and the applicant's signature. Block parties also need neighbor signatures.
All applications for special event permits in the unincorporated area shall be made on a special event permit application form and shall include the following information: 1. Type and description of event; 2. Name of the sponsoring entity, contact person, mailing address, email address and telephone number; 3. Name of the promoting entity, contact person, address and telephone number; 4. Proposed date, together with beginning and ending times and road closure times, if any; 5. Proposed location, including barricade plan, traffic detour plan and route map; 6. Estimated numbers of event staff, security staff, participants and spectators; 7. Admission fee, donation, or other consideration to be charged or requested; 8. Signature of applicant; and 9. If the event is a block party, the applicant must collect and submit with the application form a list of signatures consenting to the street closure from all neighbors whose vehicular access to their property is affected by the street closure.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 49).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 14.56 was rewritten in its entirety by Ordinance No. 1950, adopted April 14, 2026, and Section 14.56.080 controls how a permit is requested. Under Section 14.56.050(A), it is unlawful for any person or entity, public or private, to organize and hold a special event without first obtaining a permit and paying the required fees. A special event is any athletic, entertainment, political or other organized event, whether held for profit, nonprofit or charitable purposes.
The application goes on the county's special event permit application form, which comes from the permits section the county mayor establishes under Section 14.56.070. Section 14.56.080(A) requires nine items, including a barricade plan, traffic detour plan and route map, estimated numbers of event staff, security staff, participants and spectators, and any admission fee or donation. Under Section 14.56.080(B), the agencies that run facilities in the unincorporated county, such as parks and recreation, library services and aging services, help applicants and review applications for events at their own facilities. An event that crosses or involves several governments needs formal authorization from every relevant governing body (Section 14.56.080(D)).
After filing, the permits section circulates the application under Section 14.56.090 to the Health Department, the Sheriff's Office, the Parks and Recreation division when the event is at a county park or recreation center, the engineering division when streets or sidewalks close, and any other county agency or local fire authority providing a service. An event needing at least one mile of road and involving more than two hundred people also triggers a letter to each affected community council chairman.
Section 14.56.100 requires a nonrefundable application fee set by the council, a sheriff's office traffic control fee set at approval and paid before the permit issues, and any additional agency fees for special services, equipment or facilities. Political events, parades under one mile, school events on or next to school property, county-sponsored events, block parties and revenue-raising events benefiting county government are exempt from those fees.
Violations & Fines
Organizing a special event without a permit violates Section 14.56.050 and is a class B misdemeanor under Section 14.56.150. Liability falls on organizers, not on participants in a non-permitted event. The sheriff's office can stop an event even after a permit issues, and can cite event staff or participants for traffic violations, disturbing the peace, public nuisance, failure to disperse, trespass or health and safety violations. The permits section can revoke a permit for violated conditions or during a declared emergency, and the sheriff can disperse a noncompliant event.
Frequently Asked Questions
How early do I have to apply for a Salt Lake County special event permit?
What extra step applies to a block party?
Who reviews an event at a county park or recreation center?
What can I do if my application is denied or conditioned?
Does the permit process cover events inside a city in the county?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salt Lake County
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