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(a) The city recognizes the need to encourage and promote events for the greater good, cultural diversity and promotion of the city.
(b) The city finds that there are an increased number of demands upon city resources and infrastructure from applications to hold outdoor events in the city streets, sidewalks and parks and for large outdoor events on private property. In order to conserve and allocate city resources and to adequately protect the public safety of the event participants, neighboring property owners, residents and businesses, it is necessary to regulate the use of the city’s parks, streets and public areas by those desiring to hold outdoor events on public property and to regulate large outdoor events on private property.
(c) The intent of this article is to ensure that the city will have adequate advance notice of outdoor events and the ability to plan and allocate the city services that will be needed while recouping the city’s costs associated with outdoor events, such as personnel, equipment, utilities, maintenance and administrative costs.
(Ord. 19255-08-2010, § 1, passed 8-3-2010, eff. 10-1-2010)
The public events department shall be responsible for overseeing the issuance of all permits for special events, First Amendment events, parades, neighborhood events, neighborhood parades and events in General Worth Square. Unless otherwise provided, events occurring in the city’s public parks shall be the responsibility of the park and recreation department; events in the Water Gardens shall be the responsibility of the public events department; and events in Burnett Park shall be the responsibility of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., as contracted with the city. Unless otherwise provided, the applicant shall submit all information related to an event to the public events department. The outdoor events manager, as designated by the public events department, shall be responsible for processing the application, issuing the permit and assuring compliance with the requirements of this article.
The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning.
ANNUAL PERMIT. The written authorization from the city allowing an applicant to hold a series of planned events for the next calendar year in the defined outdoor events districts and in neighborhoods.
APPEALS HEARING COMMITTEE. The committee composed of the director of public events department, the director of transportation and public works department, the fire chief, the police chief and a representative from the city manager’s office designated by the city manager to hear appeals from the denial of the events calendar committee to place a requested event on the events calendar or the denial or revocation of a special event or parade permit. The city attorney or his or her designee shall serve in a non-voting capacity to advise the committee on any legal issues.
APPLICANT. The person who has filed a written application for a special event, parade, First Amendment event, neighborhood event or neighborhood parade permit that is responsible for conducting the event and the responsible organization, corporation or other group on whose behalf the individual is requesting the permit.
BLOCK. One side of a rectangular area surrounded by streets and usually containing buildings, measured from corner to corner.
CHIEF OF POLICE. The individual designated to that position by the city manager of the City of Fort Worth, Texas together with all deputy police chiefs and such other individuals as may be designated by the chief of police.
CITY. The City of Fort Worth, Texas.
CITY TRAFFIC ENGINEER. The individual designated to that position by the director of the department of transportation and public works.
CULTURAL DISTRICT. That area between Montgomery Street, Camp Bowie Boulevard, University Drive and Harley Street.
DOWNTOWN OUTDOOR EVENTS DISTRICT (DOED). That area between Jones Street, Henderson Street, Belknap Street and Lancaster Street.
EMERGENCY SERVICES AND FIRE SAFETY PLAN. A plan submitted by the applicant setting forth its plans for providing emergency services and evacuation, including fire prevention and fire suppression on public and private property used for the event, and emergency medical services to performers, entertainers, exhibitors, speakers, attendees or other persons at the event, as defined herein.
ESTABLISHED EVENT. An event with an attendance of 1,000 or more that has been permitted for the past five consecutive years.
ESTABLISHED NEIGHBORHOOD EVENT. A neighborhood event sponsored by a neighborhood association that has been held for two or more consecutive years at the same location.
ESTABLISHED NEIGHBORHOOD PARADE. A neighborhood parade sponsored by a neighborhood association that has been held for two or more consecutive years at the same location.
EVENT. A special event or parade.
EVENT AREA. The area or areas, not necessarily contiguous to each other, which are central to the event and which are erected and/or utilized by the applicant for the production of the event, including, but not limited to, areas open to attendees, stages, barricades, parked vehicles, booths, tents or other temporary or permanent structures and including the area immediately surrounding those items or locations.
EVENT SITE PLAN. The scaled schematic drawing indicating the placement of stages, vendors, booths, seating, amplifiers, bleachers, tents, toilets, generators, propane tanks, barricades, signage, dumpsters and other information required by the outdoor events manager.
EVENTS CALENDAR COMMITTEE. The necessary representatives from city staff as determined by the city manager, two at-large members from residents of the City of Fort Worth as designated by the director of public events and one representative from each of the following organizations: the T, The Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau; Sundance Square; Downtown Fort Worth Initiatives, Inc.; the Cultural District; Near Southside; and the Stockyards that are consulted by the outdoor events manager when setting the calendar of events in the city.
FEES. Where the term is not specified as being a particular type of fee, means the amount of money required to be paid to the city by an applicant pursuant to this article for the issuance of a permit in order for the city to recover the direct and indirect costs associated with the event.
FIRE CHIEF. The individual designated by the city manager and confirmed to that position by the city council of Fort Worth, Texas; together with all deputy fire chiefs and such other individuals as may be designated by the fire chief.
FIRST AMENDMENT ACTIVITY. All expressive and associative activity on public streets that is protected by the United States and Texas Constitutions, including speech, press, assembly and the right to petition, but does not include commercial advertising.
FIRST AMENDMENT EVENT. An event where the sole or principal object is First Amendment activity.
FIRST AMENDMENT PARADE. A procession of pedestrians or vehicles or any combination thereof, traveling in unison along or upon a street, road or highway, organized and conducted for the purposes of First Amendment activity.
FIRST AMENDMENT PARADE PERMIT. The written authorization from the city allowing an applicant to hold a First Amendment parade on public rights-of-way, but does not include sidewalks.
GATED EVENT. An outdoor gathering that is gated, thereby closing a portion of public property to the public and excluding members of the public.
GOODS. Food, drinks, wares, personal property, merchandise or any other similar item.
INTERSECTION. For the purpose of a parade, mean the junction of any two streets within the parade route, but shall not include any staging or disbanding area.
NATIONAL NIGHT OUT. The annual nationwide community-police awareness event to promote neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships to generate support for, and participation in, local anticrime programs.
NEAR SOUTHSIDE OUTDOOR EVENTS DISTRICT (NSOED). That area between Evans Avenue and Kentucky Street on the east, FW&W RR and UP RR on the west, Vickery Boulevard on the north and Morphy Street on the south.
NEIGHBORHOOD EVENT. Outdoor gatherings or celebrations with less than 500 attendees at any one time on a residential street, as defined by the city’s current master thoroughfare plan or as approved as a residential street by the city traffic engineer or designee, that are sponsored by a neighborhood association or by persons living on the block that requires the use, occupation or full or partial closure of a street, sidewalk or public right-of-way. Neighborhood tours, such as home or garden tours, shall not be considered a NEIGHBORHOOD EVENT.
NEIGHBORHOOD EVENT PERMIT. The written authorization from the city allowing an applicant to hold the neighborhood event as defined herein.
NEIGHBORHOOD PARADE. A procession of less than 500 pedestrians, vehicles or animals or any combination thereof, traveling in unison along or upon a residential street, as defined by the city’s current master thoroughfare plan, and organized, conducted and sponsored by a neighborhood association or by persons living on the block.
NEIGHBORHOOD PARADE PERMIT. The written authorization from the city allowing an applicant to hold the neighborhood parade as defined herein.
NON-INCOMING PRODUCING EVENTS. Those events held on private property in the Stockyards Outdoor Events District and the Near Southside Outdoor Events District that are not fenced and do not charge admission.
OUTDOOR EVENTS MANAGER. The person designated by the public events department director to implement, administer and enforce this article.
PARADE. A procession of pedestrians, vehicles or animals or any combination thereof, traveling in unison along or upon a street, road or highway.
PARADE PERMIT. The written authorization from the city allowing an applicant to hold a parade as defined herein.
PARKING PLAN. A written proposal for the operation and regulation of parking on private and public property.
PERMIT. The written authorization from the city allowing an applicant to hold an event as defined herein or perform the function for which he or she filed an application.
PERSON. An individual, firm, partnership, corporation, limited liability company, joint venture, organization, contractor, subcontractor, affiliate, agent, representative, association or other legal entity of any kind, any lawful trustee, successor, assignee, transferee, heir or personal representative, but shall not mean the city.
POLICE SERVICES PLAN. A plan to provide traffic, crowd and parking control, public security and service calls, including not only the street or streets to be closed but any other streets or public areas in the close proximity that may be utilized for alternative routes or for parking of vehicles of persons attending the event.
PRE-EVENT COMMITTEE. The necessary representatives from city staff as determined by the city manager, and one representative from each of the following organizations: The T; Med Star; Texas alcoholic beverage commission; and the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau that will conduct the pre-event meetings for compliance with this article. The designated representative to the event calendar committee from Sundance Square, Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., the Cultural District, Near Southside District and the Stockyards shall attend as a committee member only when the proposed event is in that representative’s designated event district or area.
PRIVATE PROPERTY. All property that is located within the boundaries of the city, except for property that is owned by the city, public property, as defined herein, or by another governmental entity.
PUBLIC PROPERTY. Any dedicated or undedicated public land, outdoor park and outdoor recreational facilities, streets, highways, municipal parking lots, parkways or alleys, public spaces and rights-of-way within the city.
RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION. Private property utilized on a regular basis, but in no case less than a weekly basis, for conducting religious classes and/or worship services.
SPECIAL EVENT. A single temporary daily outdoor gathering or a temporary celebration or series of related consecutive outdoor daily gatherings or celebrations, sponsored by a person that is expected to draw 500 or more attendees at any one time held on public property or private property that includes one or more of the following:
(1) Partial or full closure of a public street;
(2) Blocking or restricting access to public property;
(3) Blocking or restricting access to private property of others;
(4) Use of pyrotechnics or special effects;
(5) Use of open flame, explosions or other potentially dangerous displays or actions as outlined in the city’s fire code;
(6) Sale or distribution of merchandise, food or beverages on public property or on private property;
(7) Erection of a tent on public property, or on private property;
(8) Installation of a stage, band shell, truck, trailer, van, portable building, booth, grandstand or bleachers on public property or private property;
(9) Placement of portable toilets on public property or on private property; or
(10) Placement of temporary no-parking, directional, oversize or identification signs or banners in or over a public right-of-way, or on private property where otherwise prohibited by ordinance.
SPECIAL EVENT HOLIDAY. Any holiday proclaimed by the mayor as a special community celebration.
SPECIAL EVENT PERMIT. The written authorization from the city allowing an applicant to hold the special event as defined herein or perform the function for which he or she filed an application.
STOCKYARDS OUTDOOR EVENTS DISTRICT (SOED). That area between Packers Street, North Main Street, Stockyards Boulevard and 23rd Street.
SUPPLEMENTAL SERVICES FEE. Actual costs incurred by the city to provide city services to the event, to include the salaries of the responding police, fire and emergency officers and city employees, at the salary then in effect for each classification of each individual officer, for the amount of time actually spent in responding to or remaining at the event; appropriate overhead; the actual costs of any medical treatment to injured officers or employees; and the cost of repairing any damaged city equipment or property.
TRAFFIC CONTROL PLAN. A written proposal for the operation and regulation of traffic-control devices used to facilitate vehicular and pedestrian traffic safely and efficiently through a temporary traffic control zone.
WALKS, RUNS and RACES. Their usual and customary usage and shall be treated as a special event for purposes of review of the application unless otherwise stated in this article.
(Ord. 19255-08-2010, § 1, passed 8-3-2010, eff. 10-1-2010; Ord. 19373-09-2010, § 1, passed 9-28-2010; Ord. 20292-07-2012, § 1, passed 7-17-2012)
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to hold, sponsor or cause to be held an event without first having obtained the applicable permit from the public events department or park and recreation department. All events in public parks shall be subject to Division 6 of this article.
(b) This section shall apply to all aspects of permitting events in the city.
(1) No permit shall be denied nor shall the applicant be given less favorable treatment as to time, manner or place based upon race, color, creed, religion, gender, domestic relationship status, parental status, sexual orientation, transgender, gender identity or gender expression, national origin or political affiliation of the applicant and/or the participants of the event.
(2) No permit shall be denied nor shall the applicant be given less favorable treatment as to time, manner or place based upon the message of the event, nor based on the identity or associational relationships of the applicant and/or participants.
(3) No permit shall be denied nor shall the applicant be given less favorable treatment as to time, manner or place based upon any assumption or predictions as to the amount of hostility which may be aroused in the public by the content of speech or message conveyed by the event, provided that reasonable accommodation as to time, manner and place may be required in order for the city to provide the resources necessary for police, fire and emergency services protection.
(c) No permit shall be issued until a completed application, together with any additional information requested, is received by the outdoor events manager. The application must be in compliance with the regulations and requirements of this article.
(d) The closure of any rights-of-way shall require a street closure permit from the transportation and public works department.
(Ord. 19255-08-2010, § 1, passed 8-3-2010, eff. 10-1-2010)
The provisions of this article do not apply to:
(a) An event conducted entirely on the property of a religious institution, educational institution, college or university campus. City streets or parking lots for multi-tenant buildings, regardless of location, shall not be considered part of a religious institution, educational institution, college or university campus;
(b) Property owned or controlled by the city subject to a contract, lease or management/operating agreement with a private party where the agreement addresses outdoor events on the property;
(c) Events conducted entirely on property containing an occupied private residence;
(d) Processions of vehicles operated in compliance with ordinary traffic laws or a procession of pedestrians along or upon public sidewalks, public parks or private property;
(e) Sports facilities located on city property (including, but not limited to, ball fields, golf courses, tennis courts, swimming pools);
(f) An activity conducted in compliance with the zoning of the property and in accordance with its certificate of occupancy and if applicable, the city council has approved the partial or full closure of a street, road or highway;
(g) Events held at Texas Motor Speedway;
(h) Events held for National Night Out;
(i) Neighborhood tours, such as home or garden tours;
(j) Special event holidays;
(k) First Amendment activity conducted entirely on sidewalks, in public parks or on private property; or
(l) Events conducted under the supervision of or with the permission of a governmental entity on property owned, leased or operated by a governmental entity other than the city, if the event does not require the closing or rerouting of a public street, the entity employs certified peace officers to provide security for the event, and the entity adopts and provides to the city, a written plan addressing emergency services, crowd, traffic and parking control.
(Ord. 19255-08-2010, § 1, passed 8-3-2010, eff. 10-1-2010; Ord. 19373-09-2010, § 2, passed 9-28-2010)
Additional event operating guidelines, policies and procedures may be developed and adopted administratively by the city manager, which may include but not be limited to, processes, cost recovery for public safety, sanitation and transportation personnel, resources, surety and insurance requirements. Such rules and regulations shall be based on due regard for public health, safety and welfare of citizens and event attendees.
(Ord. 19255-08-2010, § 1, passed 8-3-2010, eff. 10-1-2010)
(a) Fees for permits shall be adopted by the city council. No permit fees shall be charged for a political march or rally conducted on public sidewalks or in city parks or plazas, or for other noncommercial exercise of rights guaranteed by the First Amendment of the United States and the Texas Constitution.
(b) An applicant shall be required to pay all fees for permits and licenses required by other city ordinances to conduct specific activities in conjunction with or as part of an event.
(Ord. 19255-08-2010, § 1, passed 8-3-2010, eff. 10-1-2010)
Where a timeframe or deadline established in this article results in an item being due on a weekend, holiday or a day the city is closed for business, the item shall be due on the business day immediately following said weekend, holiday or closed business day.
(Ord. 19255-08-2010, § 1, passed 8-3-2010, eff. 10-1-2010)
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