Stratford, CT Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)

Chapter 116, Article V of the Stratford Code, adopted 8-24-1993, is titled Use of Public Property and sets the Town's baseline for gatherings on public land. Section 116-22 is the operative notice rule: any person or organization that intends to use any public property for any purpose notifies the Chief of Police or his designee not less than 48 hours before the time of use. The notice states three things: the intent to use the property, the intended use, and an estimate of the number of people the person or group reasonably expects to be in attendance. Notice goes to the Stratford Police Department, not to a parks office, and the section prints no form, fee or approval step.

Section 116-21 protects speech and assembly. The Town imposes no requirement of insurance or proof of insurance, the posting of a bond or the payment of a fee for the use of Town property by a person or organization exercising the rights guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Connecticut or the Charter of the Town of Stratford. The 48-hour notice in § 116-22 still applies to those users.

Two neighboring sections change the picture for bigger or commercial events. Section 116-23 requires a Mayor's permit, an application fee set by the Council and $1,000,000 in liability insurance when the organizer charges an entrance fee or the sale of items is the sole purpose of the use. Section 116-24 provides that anyone using any Town building pays the cost of custodial services the Town incurs. Food sellers at a special event on Town property need their own approvals under § 116-17(E) from the Police Department, Fire Department, Health Department and any other governmental body with jurisdiction.

Article V as printed does not create a pavilion, field or picnic reservation system with its own fee schedule. A group planning a gathering in a Town of Stratford park starts with the 48-hour notice to the Chief of Police and then checks whether the event triggers the permit and insurance rules in § 116-23.