Departments & Regulations
The Special Events process can involve several departments and outside agencies, each with their own set of rules and regulations. For the full list of required terms and conditions under the Cincinnati Municipal Code, please click the link below.
The Cincinnati Police Department (CPD) is responsible for issuing permits that pertain to special uses of public space including special events, parades, and block parties. No event, unless having prior approval, may conflict with the operation of the Cincinnati Streetcar.
Special Events
A Special Event is defined as a planned temporary gathering of attractions conducted on public property, such as a road, or primarily outdoors on property open to the public and includes:
- Sale of liquor, wine or beer
- Expected attendance of 3,000 or more people; or
- Requires special city services, such as street closures, barricades, garbage cans, stages, parking restrictions, electrical services, or special police protection.
A Special Event may also include entertainment, and/or concession stands.
For more information regarding Special Events, please refer to Municipal Code Chapter 765.
A Special Event typically requires permits and/or city services from multiple departments. Please use the portal above to scope the requirements for your event and begin your applications.
Special Parade
A parade, march, procession (except for funeral processions), run and/or walk that occur within the road or on the sidewalk will require a parade permit. For more information regarding Special Parades, please refer to Municipal Code Chapter 510.
Block Party/Street Blocking
An event that closes the road to vehicular traffic, and:
- Does not have sale of liquor, wine or beer
- Expected attendance is less than 3,000 people
- Does not require special city services
- Is not a parade, march, procession, run and/or walk
Typically, a street blocking only allows people or vehicles on the blocked portion of the road, any other structures may require additional permits or insurance.
For more information regarding Street Blocking, please refer to Municipal Code Chapter 506.91.
If you have any questions regarding the applications, please contact the Cincinnati Police Department Special Events Unit at:
Phone: 513-352-5434 or 513-352-5426
Address: 150 E Freedom Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202
The Cincinnati Park Board (Parks) is responsible for issuing permits that pertain to special uses of any Cincinnati Park.
Parks’ application process for special events is two tiered:
- Date Reservation: Your reservation will hold the date and location for the use/rental of areas in a given park. Once the Date Reservation is approved, a deposit is required to hold the date/location.
- Event Profile: Due 45 days prior to the Event Date, this profile contains detailed information about the event, including but not limited to: Event Load-in/out Schedule, Event Schedule, Sanitation/Waste Removal Plan, Service Access Plan, Emergency Response Plan, and Entertainment Profile.
Cincinnati Park’s riverfront locations (Smale Riverfront, Sawyer Point, Yeatman’s Cover and International Friendship Park) offer a variety of options for event promoters and organizers to host an event of any size or type. These venues are ideal locations to host everything from walk/runs to corporate events to large regional and national level concerts and festivals. Venue rentals can be tailored to fit your specific event size and scope.
Smale Riverfront Park
This selection is for use rental of areas in Smale Riverfront Park. Areas at Smale include: Schmidlapp, Great Lawn, East Lawn and Castellini Esplanade. Smale is located at West Mehring Way, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
Sawyer Point Park, Yeatman’s Cove, and Friendship Park.
This selection is for use rental of areas in Sawyer Point, Yeatman’s Cove, and International Friendship Park. These parks are located along the Ohio River, east of downtown. Sawyer Point and Yeatman’s Cove are located at 705 East Pete Rose Way, Cincinnati, OH. International Friendship Park is located at 1135 Riverside Dr. Cincinnati, OH 45202.
Special Use Permit
A Special Use permit is required if a group of 50 or more persons wish to obtain exclusive use of park property. The Special Use Permit is for non-riverfront parks.
If you have questions regarding the applications, please contact the Cincinnati Park Board Special Events Unit at:
Phone: 513-352-6180
3CDC is responsible for the permitting and facilitation of special events at Fountain Square, Washington Park and Ziegler Park. Events at 3CDC locations typically require permits and/or services from multiple City departments.
3CDC Permits are issued on a first come, first served basis. You can apply one year in advance of the requested date(s). You must apply for separate permits for non-consecutive days.
If you have questions regarding the applications, please contact the 3CDC at:
Phone: 513-621-4400
Address: 1203 Walnut St, 4th Floor, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Website: https://www.3cdc.org/civic-spaces/
The Cincinnati Fire Department is responsible for issuing permits that pertain to temporary activities at events including: pyrotechnics, open flames, fireworks, public assembly, and temporary cooking operations. All of the permits below encompass on-site inspections either prior to the event, during the event, or both.
Exhibition Permit. This permit is required for any event that will have an open flame and or fireworks/pyrotechnics. It is reviewed by the Cincinnati Fire Department and Cincinnati Police Department and sent to the State of Ohio Fire Marshal’s Office upon completion. A signature of the Licensed Exhibitor is required.
Public Assembly Permit. Public Assembly includes theatres, arena, concert halls or other locations that have a capacity of 3,000 or more people in a fully or partially enclosed area. It is reviewed by the Cincinnati Fire Department and Cincinnati Police Department.
Temporary Cooking Operations. Events providing food service are required to meet minimum standards regarding the function, design, and operation of food services to insure the safety of the public, as well as the operators.
Explosive Ordinance & Suspicious Package Disposal. For an event that requires a public assembly permit, event producers are offered the ability to have the Cincinnati Fire Department sweep their event area for any suspicious packages and possible explosives.
Life Safety Service. If your event requires Fire Department presence, you may injure additional costs. Please contract Fire for more information.
The above permits are typically applied for in conjunction with a special event that requires additional permits and/or city services from multiple departments. Please use the portal above to scope the requirements for your event and begin your applications.
If you have any questions regarding the applications, please contact the Cincinnati Fire Department Special Events Division at:
Phone: 513-263-8064
Website: https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/fire/fire-prevention/special-event-permits/
The Cincinnati Health Department is responsible for issuing permits that pertain to temporary food services.
All vendors who will be selling food and certain beverages at your event will need to submit this form, which is also available as a download in OpenCounter.
The application and fee must be received by the Health Department at least ten working days prior to the first day of the event.
The application and fee should be submitted to:
Cincinnati Health Department
Environmental Health/Food Safety Unit
3845 William P. Dooley Bypass
Cincinnati, OH 45223
The Department of Buildings and Inspections is responsible for review and permits related to temporary structures including; fences, tents, stages and bleachers. More information about B&I permits for special events is available here.
Fence/Enclosures (Site Plan Review)
A site plan with crowd control details must be submitted for review by B&I. A building permit is not required.
The site plan must include:
- Max. crowd size within the enclosed area and method of crowd size control.
- At least two (2) openings in fence / barrier that lead to a public way. Size of openings must match crowd size (see calculation below).
- Main entrance must be sized for 50% of the crowd. Secondary exits must be free from barriers unless trained security personnel are stationed at each exit to remove barrier.
- Exits must be illuminated and must have visible signage.
Bleacher Permit
The Ohio Building Code and Cincinnati Zoning Code contains regulations governing the erection of bleachers. Therefore, a building permit is required for any temporary bleachers.
If your event includes the following elements and they meet the requirements listed below, you must download the building permit and submit it in-person at the Permit Center, 805 Central Avenue, Suite 500. Once B&I has issued the permit, you can then upload the issued permit as part of your Special Events application. The guidelines can be found here.
Stage Permit
Stage permits are required for stages that are:
- A stage larger than 120 square feet
- Any structure that is on the stage that has overhead items, such as trussing.
To apply for a stage permit, complete this form and return it to the Permit Center (805 Central Ave, Suite 500).
Tent Permit
A tent permit is required for tents that are larger than 20x20ft or 400 sq ft.
To apply for a tent permit, complete this form and return it to the Permit Center (805 Central Ave, Suite 500).
Electrical Permit
B&I partners with Inspection Bureau, Inc (IBI) for electrical review. A permit and inspections is required if a service entrance or temporary meter is involved.
If you have questions regarding the Fence, Stage or Tent permits, please contact the B&I at:
Phone: 513-352-3271
Address: 805 Central Ave, Suite 500, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Website: https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/buildings/
If you have questions regarding the Electrical Permits, please contact IBI at:
Phone: 513-381-6080
Address: 250 W Court St #125W, Cincinnati, OH 45202
Email: Sgangloff@inspectionbureau.com
Website: https://www.inspectionbureau.com/ibi-cash-customer/
Depending on the nature of your event you may be required to do the following:
Liability Insurance - As a part of your event you may be required to hold insurance. Once insurance is obtained, a Certificate of Liability Insurance (ACORD 25) will need to be reviewed and approved by the City. If you have any questions please contact the Cincinnati Police Department at 513-352-5434 or 513-352-5426 if your event occurs outside of a park or the Cincinnati Parks Department at 513-352-6180 if your event occurs within a park.
Admission Taxes - If you will be charging an admission fee for individuals attending the event, please contact the City Treasurer’s office at 513-352-3224
State Liquor License - Ohio Liquor laws make special provisions that allow nonprofit organizations to obtain temporary liquor permits for the sale of alcoholic beverages at special events. This provision is covered under the F and F-2 Permit. These permits cannot be issued for the profit or gain of a private individual or a “for-profit” organization.
An F Permit allows the producer to sell beer by the glass for a period of no longer than 5 days.
An F-2 Permit allows the producer to sell beer, wine and liquor by the drink for no longer than 4 days.
Additional information can be obtained from the Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Liquor Control, Permit Section
Address: 6606 Tussing Road, PO Box 4005, Reynoldsburg OH 43068
Phone: 614-644-2360
Email: web.liqr@com.state.oh.us
Website: www.com.gov/liqr
Fire Hydrant Permit - If you plan to utilize public fire hydrants for your event, you will be required to obtain permission from Greater Cincinnati Water Works.
Traffic Control Equipment Rental - All special events not located in a park will have the opportunity to utilize Department of Public Services (DPS) equipment to assist with traffic control. A cost estimate will be provided for these events, but utilizing this service is not mandatory. Event Producers are able to hire private companies to provide traffic control equipment.
Waste Haulers - If you are using commercial waste hauls, you must use on the City's registered haulers listed below.
- Rumpke of Ohio, 513-851-0122, www.rumpke.com
- Republic Services of Ohio, 513-771-4200, www.republicservices.com
- Best Way of Indiana, 1-800-354-1830, www.BestWay-Disposal.com
- Bavarian Trucking Company. 859-485-4416, www.bavarianwaste.com
If you have questions about registered waste haulers, please contact the Office of Environment and Sustainability: https://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/oes/commercial-waste-hauler-program-old/