Live Entertainment
Review & Discussion
City Council – Work Session
December 15, 2025
Planning Division
PURPOSE
Provide an overview of how the City processes live entertainment requests • Conditional Use Permit Process
• Standard operating and security conditions applied
Seek Council direction on whether staff should purse a Live Entertainment Ordinance • Streamline permitting, improve compliance, support economic vitality
DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION
Provide staff with comments and/or direction on:
• Changes to current process and additional conditions that should be applied • Provide direction for drafting a Live Entertainment Ordinance
P L A N N I N G D I V I S I O N
visalia.gov
B A C K G R O U N D
Conditional Use Permit
Live Entertainment
Process
Several commercial establishments have been
approved, via discretionary review process, to
offer various live entertainment options
Intended to be ancillary to the primary use
Recognized as a way to provide downtown with
variety of entertainment options
P L A N N I N G D I V I S I O N
“Live Entertainment”
V I S A L I A Z O N I N G O R D I N A N C E
visalia.gov
Means the performance by one (1) or more of any of the following performed live with amplified sound by one (1) or more persons, whether or not done for compensation and whether or not admission is charged: (i) musical act, including karaoke; (ii) theatrical act, including a play, revue, or stand-up comedy; (iii0 dance; (iv) magic act; (v) disc jockey; (or (vi) similar activity.
P L A N N I N G D I V I S I O N
L I V E E N T E R T A I N M E N T
Submittal & Approval of
Conditional Use Permit
Required by any business seeking to offer live
entertainment as part of the business.
Per Zoning Use Matrix (VMC Table 17.25.030)
live entertainment conditionally allowed
within:
• C-R (Regional Commercial) zone
• C-MU (Mixed Use Commercial)
• D-MU (Mixed Use Downtown)
Ensures
conditions/
requirements are
applied and
adopted to help
safeguard and
protect patrons
and land use
compatibility
Process includes
staff review (Site
Plan Review),
public hearing
notices within
300-feet of site,
Planning
Commission
approval
visalia.gov
P L A N N I N G D I V I S I O N
CUP LIVE ENTERTAINMENT APPROVALS
1 5th Quarter
Barrelhouse Brewery
Blend Wine Room
Cellar Door
Crawdaddy’s
Longshot Brewery
Los Culichis
2 3
4 5
6 visalia.gov
8 9
10 11
12 13
Rookies
Salty Walrus
Sequoia Brewing Company
Simply Brewing
Tavern on Main
Visalia Brewing Company
Wine Buff
147
P L A N N I N G D I V I S I O N
CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL
visalia.gov
Standard Operating Conditions
Live Entertainment Conditions
All live entertainment CUP’s have been approved with a variation of general conditions, operating conditions, and security conditions adopted.
Security Conditions
Wording over time for these conditions has been refined with each new live entertainment CUP
When establishments fail to properly comply with the
conditions/requirements of the CUP the City has to apply significant staff resources to monitor
As a result of failing to adhere to the conditions of approval , two businesses were issued CUP suspension letters and staff initiated the revocation process.
• One business opted to revise type of live entertainment • One business ceased their business operation
General Conditions
COMPLIANCE DETAILS
Code Enforcement and Visalia PD conducted two late night detail checks • No major violations were found
Letters also mailed to both property owners and business address reminding “owners” of the CUP and the requirements/conditions
Planning staff continues to receive inquires
from business owners, predominately small
restaurants and micro -breweries
CONTINUED INQUIRES
Resulted in a mix of issues that business owners find
frustrating at times due to:
• Cost of the CUP
• Timing to get the CUP to Planning Commission
• Uncertainty if their CUP is approved
Several establishments operate as conditioned; City
staff continue to address issues related to adequacy
of security measures and late -night crowd
management
CONSIDERATION FOR POTENTIAL DIRECTION FROM CITY COUNCIL
1. Maintain the current CUP process (status quo)
• Each request reviewed on a project-by-project basis
• Ability to impose case-by-case operating conditions
• City may initiate process to revoke or modify CUP if business fails to comply with conditions
CONSIDERATION FOR POTENTIAL DIRECTION FROM CITY COUNCIL
2. Initiate development of a Live Entertainment Ordinance • Clear definitions for the types of entertainment
• Standardized operating & security conditions that can be applied citywide:
• Licensed security guards
• Noise standards
• Hours of operation
• Crowd management requirement
• Low impact live entertainment permit
• Limit number of CUPS within an area
Questions
&
Discussion