Special Event Permit Overview
City Comparisons – Process and Fees
October 12, 2026
Economic Development
Meredith Knudsen, Arts and Culture Manager
McKenzie Nelson, Arts and Events Specialist
June 8 Recap – Key Findings
15%
• Current permit fees recover only about 15% of the City's minimum staff costs Multi-Department Review
• Special events require coordination across PED, Fire, Police, Transit, Traffic, and Parks, including application review, permit coordination, and follow up
Most permit costs occur before the event
• Most of the staff time is associated with application review and pre-event coordination meeting that most costs are incurred before the event day
Estimates were conservative
• The staff cost estimates presented were conservative minimums and did not include additional inspections, event-day support, enforcement, or post-event coordination.
Courthouse Square examples showed that City investment consistently exceeds organizer permit fees by approximately 2 to 15 times, depending on event size and street closure requirements.
The City also supports through event-support funding, traffic control resources, eligible sanitation and waste services, and additional guidance.
October 12, 2026
2 Feedback & Direction from June 8
Key Direction Received
• Continue benchmarking comparable cities, including permit fees, review processes, staffing involvement, and levels of event support.
• Recognize that reduced fees may represent an investment in downtown activation, tourism, and local business activity, not solely a subsidy.
• Continue identifying opportunities to improve efficiency within the permit process. • Streamline and modernize permitting procedures to reduce barriers for event organizers. • Return with additional benchmarking and analysis before considering future fee adjustments.
October 12, 2026
3 How does Santa Rosa Compare?
Seven municipalities reviewed for permitting process, permit fees, and cost recovery October 12, 2026
4 City/Venue Base Fee Approach How Incremental Costs are Recovered Santa Rosa
Courthouse Square
Attendance tier + non-profit/commercial
$250 NP / $450 commercial at 1,000 attendees
(CHS Only)
Side-street fees are separate; other City services may apply Concord
Todos Santos Plaza
$250 non-refundable application fee; 25%
projected deposit paid in full prior to event Department rates + personnel/resources assessed to the event + full cost recovery
Sonoma
Sonoma Plaza
Cost-based event application + Plaza rental Maintenance staff, street use, parking and other add-ons charged separately Healdsburg
Healdsburg Plaza
Minor/major + resident/commercial pricing Street/traffic/public-safety costs; 1,000+ events require a cost-recovery agreement
Petaluma
Downtown/Walnut Park
Major/minor + department-specific permit fees Street closure + Fire review/inspection + City services/cleanup costs Windsor
Windsor Town Green
Application + site use + maintenance fees Road closure + staff hourly cost recovery Salinas
Oldtown Salinas
Major/minor special-event application fee Road closure, traffic and public-safety requirements may add costs Roseville
Vernon Street Town Square Facility rental + special-event application City department service charges + street closures billed separately 1 2
3 Fee structures vary significantly
Cities separate permit, site, staffing
and street-closure costs differently.
Most peers use layered fees
Base Permit/Site charges are
commonly supplemented by
maintenance, closures, staffing, or
department-specific charges
Event impacts drive
additional recovery
Higher impact events commonly
result in additional charges tied to
the City resources required
BENCHMARK
TAKEAWAY
Sources: Municipal fee schedules, special event applications, policy & municipal code, peer testimony KEY FINDING:
Santa Rosa’s upfront event fees are
generally lower than comparable
cities – often by approx. 60-80% for
similar base event/site charges –
while peer cities more commonly
layer additional charges for staffing,
maintenance, street closures, and
other event-specific City resources.
Appendix – Benchmarking Details
October 12, 2026
5 Healdsburg: Santa Rosa is approximately 62% lower nonprofit / 52% lower commercial Petaluma: Santa Rosa is approximately 70% lower nonprofit / 67% lower commercial Sonoma: Santa Rosa is approximately 75%–87% lower, depending on which Santa Rosa category and Sonoma site components are compared
Roseville: Santa Rosa is approximately 60%–78% lower when comparing permit + Town Square/siterelated charges Windsor: Santa Rosa is approximately 61% lower on the nonprofit side using the base application/site/maintenance package identified
Concord is the exception: its $250 application fee is essentially equal to Santa Rosa’s $250 nonprofit CHSonly total; Concord then separately assesses department rates, personnel, and resource costs. Roseville similarly separates its special-event permit from facility rental and actual service charges.
Courthouse Square Events (1,000 Attendees)
Control Group
October 12, 2026
6 Courthouse Square Only (No Side Street Closures)
• Permit fees:
• Nonprofit: $200-$350/day
• Commercial: $400-$700/day
• Plus $50 application fee
• Total organizer cost: $250-$750
• Actual permit cost: $1,503
• Cost recovery:
• Nonprofit: approximately 17%-27%
• Commercial: approximately 30%-50%
• City subsidy:
• Approximately $750-$1,250 per event
Courthouse Square + Side Street Closures
• Permit fees:
• Same attendance-based fee structure
• Plus $25 per side street closure
• Total organizer cost: approximately $300-$800
• Actual permit cost: $1,680
• Additional permit cost:
• Approximately $177 more than CHS-only events
• Cost recovery:
• Generally, 18%-48%
• City subsidy:
• Approximately $880-$1,380 per event
CONCORD
Todos Santos Plaza
October 12, 2026
7 Application fee
$250 non-refundable application fee. Concord also requires a 25% security deposit after approval.
City staff / service costs
Base application fee + City permit fees, departmental rates, personnel costs, resource/equipment costs, or other City costs. The cost of City staff support is fully paid by the event producer.
Comparison to Santa Rosa
Concord appears to have a more direct cost-recovery philosophy:
Application fee + event-specific City services/personnel + security deposit.
Alcohol Permit:
$100
No closure:
$250 + actual City services
Closure:
$250 + actual City services + closure-related costs
SONOMA
Sonoma Plaza
Fee structure
• Large-scale special-event application: $1,528
• Street-use permit: $878
• Alcohol permit: $277
• Plaza quadrants: approximately $300–$400/day
• Amphitheater: $200/day
• Rear parking lot: $300/day
• maintenance: based on actual Public Works staffing
• security deposit: tied to rented area
No closure:
$1,528 + venue rental + etc.
With street use:
$2,406 + venue rental+ etc.
HEALDSBURG
Healdsburg Plaza
October 12, 2026
8 Major Special Event Permit
$1,250 deposit
Non-Profit or Individual Resident: $662.73 per permit
Commercial Resident: $928.32 per permit
Non-Resident: $2,650.92 per permit
Street closures
Regular street closure: $335.75
Barricades: $6.26 each
No closure
Non-Profit or Individual Resident: $662.73 per permit
Commercial Resident: $928.32 per permit
Non-Resident: $2,650.92 per permit
St. Closure
Non-Profit or Individual Resident: $662.73 + $335.75 + etc.
Commercial Resident: $928.32 + $335.75 + etc.
Non-Resident: $2,650.92 + $335.75 + etc.
*External special events anticipated to involve the attendance of 1,000 or more persons, shall, in addition to submitting an application as specified in this section, be required to enter into a cost recovery deposit agreement, fee agreement, or other use agreement, all subject to review and approval by the City Council.
PETALUMA
Downtown / Walnut Park
October 12, 2026
9 Special-event structure
The code defines the permit application fee as intended to cover the City's cost, or a portion of its cost, of processing/investigating the application and administering the program.
Major event:
Police: Resident: $305 Commercial $826
Fire: hourly if review/inspection is required
Walnut Park: ~ $531 +250 people
Street closures
Residential street closure: $787/day
Arterial street closure: $1,573/day
No closure
Nonprofit/resident: Commercial:
$305 + $531 = $836 $836+ $531 = $1,357
Street Closure
+ $1623 to $2,409 +$2409 to $2,930
Totals do not include Fire, park/facility rental, or other fully burdened staff costs.
Petaluma explicitly uses fully burdened hourly rates for City personnel.
WINDSOR
Town Green
Maintenance and event-specific services are separately charged.
Baseline Fees & Deposits
Application Fee: $53 (non-refundable).
Refundable Security Deposit: $1,500 per event
Space & Use Fees (Daily Rates)
You can choose to rent individual zones or all of them depending on your event size: Lawn Use: $299, Arbor and Pavilions: $299, Shade Tree Bosque: $299 Required Maintenance & Staffing Fees
Event Duration Maintenance: Billed based on how long the event occupies the space: Up to 12 hours: $297,
12 to 24 hours: $545
Facility Attendant: $36 per hour (an attendant must be on-duty for the duration of event Custodial Staff Cleaning Fee: $65 per hour (if additional town janitorial support is deemed necessary).
Event Specific Permits & Add-ons
Alcohol Permit Fee: $139
Amplified Sound Permit: $40
Surrounding Road/Parking Lot Closures: $225 per event for local non-profits to close off nearby spots like Market Street, Duvander Lane, or the Library Parking Lot.
No Closure: $297
Salinas
Old Town Salinas
October 12, 2026
10 Major Special Event Application: $307.25
Noise regulation (amplified sound permit): $145/event
A $307.25 major-event application does not mean the City only receives $307.25 from a large event.
Street Closure Review: $273.25
Traffic, police, fire, inspections and other services are separate
Roseville
Veron St. Town Square.
Permit fee
Two primary categories:
Events involving street/parking closures, site/plan review, trail use, festivals, etc.:
$340
Events with limited site/plan review and no street closure:
$185
There is also a $300 refundable deposit
Based on actual services/resources required
Additional City charges can apply for:
Park Maintenance, Police, Fire inspection, Street closures, Solid waste, other City services
1,000-person event: $340 permit + $650 maximum Town Square rental + $300 refundable deposit + actual City services + maintenance + street closure costs + other applicable expenses.
October 12, 2026
11 EconDev Permits Issued Fees Received Actual Permit Costs* Special Event 13 $ 12,025.00 $32,398.34
Film 7 $2,100 $ 4805.64
Civic Site 29 $13,750.00 $45,951.95
Block Party 27 $700.00 $14,777.91
Totals 76 $28,575.00 $97,933.84
Funds Generated
01/01/2026 – 9/10/2026
Econ Dev: Parking: TPW:
$ 28,575.00 $ 35,885.25 $ 3,651.38
Upcoming permits
Film: 3
Civic Site/SEP: 13
Block Party: 11
•These estimates reflects minimum amount of staff time associated with a routine issuance only. Does not included items such as fire inspection, additional staff review, meetings with organizer, post event cleanup Feedback and Direction
October 12, 2026
12 Process Improvements
Staff will continue to streamline the existing
permitting process using current resources and
Accela, with a focus on reducing manual steps and
staff touchpoints while improving the experience for
applicants and reviewing departments.
Cost Recovery and Fees
Staff is seeking feedback on whether to further
evaluate options for application/permit fees and
more consistent recovery, while balancing
community benefit and event accessibility.