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 The City of Indianapolis Special Events Office assists event organizers as they plan for outdoor, open-to-the-public events. 

 

Click here to fill out the City of Indianapolis Special Event Application 

 

When is a Special Event Required?

If you are holding an organized activity involving the use of, or having an impact on city-owned property or the temporary use of private property - Generally, if your event has one or more of the following:

Closing of a street

Blocking or restriction of public property

Sale of merchandise, food or beverages

Set up of temporary structures (I.e. stage, tent)

Use of private property where anticipated attendance is over 1,000

 

PLEASE SEE LETTER BELOW REGARDING NEW TENT REQUIREMENTS FOR SPECIAL EVENTS:

Thank you for your patience as the Department of Code Enforcement (DCE) developed a pilot program to address tents, canopies, and membrane structures. This program seeks to balance the life safety needs of Indianapolis residents without creating excessive burdens on members of the tent industry. For those of you in attendance at the February 21 meeting, your feedback was invaluable in creating a program that DCE believes to be sensible in the interim until large-scale ordinance revisions take place. Please review the details of the tent and canopy interim pilot program. To briefly explain the policy, there are three tiers of temporary structures. The permit and submittal requirements vary depending on the tier.

Tier 1: Tents less than 200 SF and canopies less than 400 SF that contain no open flames
-    No permits are required by DCE. Nothing is required to be submitted to DCE and there are no fees.

Tier 2: Tents between 200 SF and 1200 SF; canopies between 400 SF and 3200 SF that contain no open flames
-    A structural permit is not required and no fees will be assessed. In lieu of a permit, however, the installer must submit a 'notification' form to DCE prior to installation. The form, titled Tent Notification, is available here or by visiting the Permit Forms section of DCE's webpage.

Tier 3: Tents greater than 1200 SF; canopies greater than 3200 SF; tents or canopies of any size containing open flames
-    A structural permit will be required for tents and canopies exceeding these thresholds. The  permit application is titled Tent Permit Application and is available here or in the Permit Forms section of DCE's webpage.

A few other key items:
-    Only General Contractors and property owners/lessees are eligible to obtain a structural permit.
-    To eliminate paperwork, redundancy, and fees, only one permit or notification will be required per site even if multiple tents are erected at that site (example: if three tents are erected within tier 3, assuming that they are going up at the same site only one permit will be issued and only one permit fee will be assessed).
-    Inspections will be required for all tents and canopies in tier 3 prior to occupancy. Call 317-941-8251 to request an inspection. If the temporary structure is being installed on the weekend, please coordinate with inspections staff during normal business hours to schedule an inspection.
-    Tents and canopies located on state property or within an 'excluded city' (Lawrence, Speedway, Beech Grove, and Southport) will not require permits from DCE.

Items regarding the submittal process:
-    'Notifications' (tier 2 above) may be emailed to tents@indy.gov or mailed to the Department of Code Enforcement - ATTN: TENTS. In addition to DCE, the renter of the tent must be made aware of this process. Notification forms must be posted on site. Notifications are only available to listed general contractors.
-    Structural permit submittals (tier 3 above) may be emailed to tents@indy.gov or mailed to the Department of Code Enforcement - ATTN: TENTS. Please allow a turnaround time of approximately three (3) to five (5) business days for submittals requiring a structural permit.
Upon approval of the project, applicants may either pay for and pick up their permit in the DCE lobby, or pay for the permit online and print the permit remotely. A hard copy of the permit and approved plans must be kept on site.

Please contact the Department of Code Enforcement at 327-8700 or tents@indy.gov for any questions. Thank you.

 

What is the permit process?

1.  Complete the application at least 60 days before your event date (2 weeks for block parties).  This is to ensure coordination between the various departments within the city as well as the state and to determine the number of events located in close proximity to ensure events can coexist.

2. Once the application is received, an email will be sent to the applicant informing them of the additional requirements for the event as well as the invoice.  Depending on the event, the applicant may be required to obtain additional permits or licenses. 

3.  The application will be forwarded to various departments for final review and approval.

4. All changes to the application must be submitted in writing and must be done at least 1 week before the event date.

5.  Upon final review and approval by the Events Advisory Board, a permit will be issued which will include conditions and restrictions for which the applicant will be responsible to meet.

 

What are the fees for a Special Event Permit?

The new hours for meters are Monday through Saturday 7am - 9pm.  To block a meter, the fee is $20 per meter per day in Zone 1 and $15 per meter per day in Zone 2.   if you are a not for profit, you will need to submit a copy of your 501 (c) 3 for approval to waive the meter fees.

If you have an event that requires a fire inspection, or fire services, there may be $100.00 fee added.

As of January 1, 2011, the following fees will be in effect for special events:

The Special Event Application Fee ($32.00) and the Special Event Permit Fee ($25.00) applies to  events  for a total of $57.00. (EXCLUDING BLOCK PARTIES)

Depending on your event, you may have additional costs to include in your budget such as:

Police Officers/Security

Port-o-Lets

Trash Removal

On-site Medical Services

 

What other permits may be required?

(by clicking on the name, you will be directed to their website)

Temporary Alcohol                                                          Gaming Office (for raffles and bingo)

Temporary Food                                                              Entertainment    

Fireworks                                                                          Use of Canal

Use of Park Property                                                          

Use of White River State Park/Military Park                                            

 

 

How do I determine how much security I need for my event?

The total number of Indiana Law Enforcement Academy (ILEA) Certified officers or security is determined by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department using many variables, including:

The estimated number of participants and spectators

The availability of alcoholic beverages

Event location and size

Weather conditions

Time of day

Need for street closures or rerouting of vehicular or pedestrian traffic

History of the particular special event

 

Events May 10 through May 17, 2012

 

05/18/2012 14868 Bike to Work Day View
05/18/2012 14823 Field Day View
05/18/2012 14908 Spring Fling Parade View
05/19/2012 14483 GEIST HALF MARATHON AND 5K View
05/19/2012 15142 LEMONADE DAY INDIANAPOLIS View
05/19/2012 14378 BROAD RIPPLE ART FAIR View
05/19/2012 14847 Celebrating Our Culture View
05/19/2012 14915 New Jersey Street block party View
05/19/2012 15113 NOTIFY: Columbia Club Wedding View
05/19/2012 15114 NOTIFY: Columbia Club Wedding Reception View
05/19/2012 14757 Evening on the Canal View
05/19/2012 15046 NOTIFY: Fever vs Dream View
05/20/2012 15047 Coffee hour View
05/20/2012 14220 Indianapolis Great Strides View
05/20/2012 14791 John D Alexander Hoosier 250 Tricycle Race View
05/23/2012 14882 Indiana Square Building Blood Drive View
05/23/2012 15145 Summer Fun Guide Distribution View
​05/23/2012 ​14715 ​15TH ANNUAL ORIGNAL FARMERS MARKET View
05/24/2012 15163 E 38th Street Festival View
05/24/2012 14643 Indianapolis Public Library E-Reader Collection View
05/24/2012 14769 USO Operation Hydration View
05/24/2012 14977 NOTIFY: Indianapolis Indians View

 

 

 

 Click here to see a list of street closures and restrictions

 

 

The Canal

The Monument Circle

Marathon

       

Contact Information:


DeAnn Milliken
  317-327-4849  
Fax:  317-327-0817      

e-mail: DeAnn.Milliken@indy.gov      

After Hours Cell - 317.605.7745
 

Special Events Office
Department of Code Enforcement 
1200 Madison Ave., Ste. 100
Indianapolis, IN 46225