Opinion ID: 77366
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Festivals Ordinance

Text: 6 The Atlanta Outdoor Festivals Ordinance of 2003 governs the permits, location, size, and fees of public gatherings in the City of Atlanta. Festivals Ordinance §§ 138-186-138-209. The Festivals Ordinance requires [a]ny person or organization desiring to hold an outdoor festival [to] make application for a permit to hold such event . . . no later than ninety [ ] days prior to the date of the festival. Id. § 138-201. Although the Festivals Ordinance does not prevent members of the public from assembling in the parks or streets . . . without holding an outdoor festival permit, those without a permit may not erect stages, barricades, utility poles, booths, tents or other temporary structures. . . . Id. § 138-209. The Festivals Ordinance also exempts city-sponsored events from the permitting requirements. Id. § 138-188. A [c]ity-sponsored event means a public event that is directly related to a recognized function of city government and which is in major part initiated, financed, and executed by the City. Id. § 138-187. 7 Under the Festivals Ordinance, the Chief of Staff of Atlanta decides whether to grant or deny a permit within 45 days of the date of application. Id. § 138-203(A). The Chief of Staff may consult with the Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, and the Chief of Police and designate certain Festival Districts as having special limitations . . . if in the opinion of the Chief of Staff there are special considerations . . . such as traffic, public safety, etc. Id. § 138-201A(d). Neighborhood Planning Units, city council members, the Departments of Police, Fire, Public Works, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs, and the Bureau of Buildings may also submit comments about the proposed festival. Id. § 138-202. 8 The Chief of Staff considers several criteria when deciding whether to grant or deny a permit. Id. §§ 138-203(b), -204. For instance, the Chief of Staff may deny a permit to an applicant who has failed to complete payment of any sums required for a previously permitted festival until such time as payment is received .... Id. § 138-203(b)(7). The Chief of Staff also may deny a permit to an applicant who has failed to substantially perform a cleanup plan which was made a condition of a previous permit . . . . Id. § 138-203(b)(8). A permit may be denied if the internal security plan submitted by the applicant does not show that all off-duty law enforcement personnel to be used for internal security will be POST-certified. Id. § 138-203(b)(5). The Festivals Ordinance does not define POST-certified, but POST-certified refers to the requirements of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Act of Georgia. O.C.G.A. §§ 35-8-1 to 35-8-25. 9 The applicant must include 23 items to apply for the permit. Festival Ordinance §§ 138-201(1)-(23). One item is [a] certification by [the] applicant that a Notice of Intent to Hold a Festival has been sent by registered mail or by hand delivery to all City Council members . . . and all Neighborhood Planning Units affected by the festival . . . . Id. § 138-201(21). The Festivals Ordinance also requires that [a]n applicant shall be required to furnish a fully paid public liability damage insurance policy procured from a company licensed to do business in Georgia for outdoor festivals of over 10,000 estimated attendees. Id. § 138-205(e), see id. § 138-205(b). The amount of insurance required is $1,000,000 bodily injury total, $500,000 bodily injury to any one person, and $100,000 property damage. Id. § 138-205(e). 10 The applicant is required to pay fees to hold a festival. The Festivals Ordinance imposes application and permit fees based upon the size of the festival and whether the festival is commercial or noncommercial. Id. §§ 138-205(c), (d). Under the Festivals Ordinance, [c]ommercial means any part of the net earnings of the outdoor festival inures to the benefit of any private shareholder, individual or for-profit corporation . . . . Id. § 138-187. Noncommercial means any festival organized and operated for charitable, religious, scientific, literary, or educational purposes . . . or where no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder, individual or for-profit corporation . . . . Id. § 138-187. 11 Since it enacted the first Festivals Ordinance in 1983, Atlanta has amended the Festivals Ordinance several times. When it amended the Festivals Ordinance in 2003, Atlanta imposed a moratorium on festival permit applications from November 27, 2002, until January 13, 2003, when the new ordinance would become effective.