Austin event permits for brand activations

Lead time:

3 business days

Fee:

No application/processing fee for Tier 1. Street event (Tier 1): review $275, deposit $50 (refundable), permit $150 per block per day. Safety closure: review $275, deposit $50, permit $55 per block per day.

Deadline: 3 business days before the first day of the event. Tier 1 sign-offs, Certificate of Insurance and fee payment due 3 business days before.

Submit an ACE application (ACME portal) tagged Tier 1; ROW use is permitted by ATPW Office of Special Events via the ACE application.

Tier 1 examples named by the City: sidewalk closures, police bubbles/escorts, parking-space uses (food trucks, photo booths, generators). Fee depends on whether a street/safety closure is involved. Any ROW use needs a permit.

Lead time:

30 calendar days

Fee:

ACME application processing $198.67 + ACME permitting $117.55; late fee $277.00 in addition. Street event Tier 2: review $205, deposit $1,000 (refundable), permit $460 per block per day. Sound impact evaluation $200.00.

Deadline: 30 calendar days before the event (page is internally inconsistent: ROW section says "thirty (30) business days").

Submit ACE application via ACME. Neighbor notification required for street use.

Residents within 200 ft and neighborhood associations within 0.5 mile get 14 calendar days to approve/object; 20% objection triggers City Council. Fee_cents = 19867+11755. Business-vs-calendar ambiguity: plan for 30 business days.

Lead time:

120 calendar days

Fee:

Tier 3: processing $237.85 + permitting $156.73; Tier 4: $298.00 + $235.00; late fee $277.00. Sound impact eval $677.29 each tier.

Tier 3: 120 calendar days before event. Tier 4: 180 calendar days. Applications before 365 days out or after the tier timeline are subject to denial.

Submit ACE application via ACME; Traffic Control Plan and Emergency Safety Plan due 14 calendar days before event.

Tier 3 examples: Texas Book Festival, 10k races. Tier 4: 4th of July, SXSW. The 1,000 attendee threshold is my assumption for brand-booth relevance; the City page lists tiers by examples, not attendance. fee_cents is Tier 3 processing+permitting.

Lead time:

10 calendar days

Fee:

$62 per booth (1-14 days), City of Austin and inter-local jurisdictions; $52 unincorporated Travis County. Late application: $120 per booth (no late option in unincorporated Travis County).

"Submit complete applications at least 10 calendar days before the event." Less notice may not be approved and incurs an expedited review fee.

Event organizer (not each booth operator) applies via the My Health Department Customer Portal or in person at 1520 Rutherford Ln. Contact ehsd.service@austintexas.gov, 512-978-0300.

Required for each 10x10 food/beverage tent if event is public, advertised, or serves open food/drinks needing refrigeration or hot holding. Prepackaged food and sealed packaged beverages generally need no permit unless opened. The TFE page does not address sampling specifically.

Lead time:

Lead time not stated separately; follows ACE tier deadline.

Fee:

$265 Event Health and Safety Review

Included in the ACE application workflow.

Toilets 1 per 50 persons (5-10% ADA); water 1 pint/person/hour. Mass gathering rules apply to Tier 3/4 and Tier 2 events of 4+ hours with alcohol, food or beverages. EMS final info due 7 days before; follow-up report within 30 days after.

Lead time:

Lead time not separately stated; AFD sign-off collected through the ACE application.

Fee:

Level 0 (49-299 attendees) $150; Level 1 (300-999) $450; Level 2 (1,000-9,999) $675; Level 3 (10,000-24,999) $1,050; Level 4 (25,000+) $2,250.

Part of the ACE application; site plan approval and fire inspection required for all events.

Fee_cents is the Level 0 figure. Temporary Change of Use Permit (AFD) $525.

Lead time:

Lead time not published on page.

Fee:

First tent $375; each additional tent $75. Tents submitted with an AFD Special Event Permit are $75 each.

Submit with ACE/AFD application.

No gas-fired, wood-burning or open-flame heaters inside tents.

Lead time:

Lead time not published.

Fee:

Fee not published on the planning guide page.

Schedule AFD inspection before event.

Food trucks with propane or electric appliances producing smoke/grease-laden vapors require AFD inspection (effective Oct 1, 2023); trucks without one "will be shut down, and a citation will be issued." Food trucks may park/vend in ROW only through an ACE application.

Lead time:

Follows ACE tier deadline; no separate lead time published.

Fee:

Sound impact evaluation: Tier 1 $100.00; Tier 2 $200.00; Tiers 3 and 4 $677.29 each. Temporary sound amplification permit: $186.30.

Request via ACE application; approved events get a Sound Impact Plan setting decibel limits and hours.

Up to 4 consecutive days (or non-consecutive within 30 days); venue up to 19 days/yr; stricter within 600 ft of residential; in parks no amplified sound before 10 a.m. or after 10 p.m.

Lead time:

30 calendar days

Fee:

Notification fee $241.00 for multi-day (from search summary of city form); per-day fees $0 to $34.32. The page lists no dollar amounts.

City form (not the page I fetched) reportedly says multi-day applications must be received a minimum of 30 days before the first event. The page https://www.austintexas.gov/page/temporary-sound-permit states no lead time.

Email soundpermits@austintexas.gov; pay invoice through the AB+C Portal; application pending until paid.

Covers one-time outdoor amplified sound at commercial/non-residential site, or gatherings under 50 people where legal use does not allow. Decibel/hours set case by case. 30-day and fee numbers NOT confirmed on a fetched page.

Lead time:

No lead time published for brand activation permits or the Special Request Form.

Fee:

No permit fee published. Violation fine $100-$500, $250 minimum during a special event (Class C misdemeanor).

Contact reservations@austintexas.gov or 512-974-6797 (M-F 9am-3pm). Activation permitted as part of a park site rental or with written permission of an event organizer.

"General commercial advertising, marketing, product launches or similar are NOT general public recreational purposes." Only activations that ENHANCE a park purpose are considered. Not allowed near pools, hike/bike trail, boardwalk or Pfluger Bridge. Events with alcohol, structures or fencing go through ACE.

Lead time:

Follows ACE tier deadline.

Fee:

Fee not published on fetched section; liquor liability insurance $1,000,000 may be required.

Include alcohol in ACE application; obtain TABC authorization separately.

A beer garden is required when alcohol is served at a special event: 6-ft non-bendable fence, at least two City-commissioned peace officers present, patron count. Open/poured beverages need a TFE permit. Alcohol section of the page was truncated.

Lead time:

No lead time; distiller File and Use Notification (L-FUN) reportedly may be filed any time before the event (search summary, not confirmed on fetched page).

Fee:

Not published on fetched page. FUN reportedly has no filing fee (unconfirmed).

Brand ambassador sampling is generally only possible at licensed retailers (Promotional Permit, bar-spend) or via distiller FUN at qualifying festivals/markets.

Fetched TABC marketing FAQ: upper-tier members donating alcohol to unlicensed events "may not attend the event to promote their products or serve samples." Coupons/rebates redeemable for alcohol not allowed. Distiller 0.5 oz per sample cap is from a search summary only. Confirm with TABC before quoting to clients.

Lead time:

COI due with Tier 1 requirements 3 business days before event; otherwise per ACE tier.

Fee:

No fee. Coverage minimums: Commercial General Liability $500,000 per occurrence (bodily injury and property damage, coverages A and B); Products/Completed Operations $500,000. Possible: Automobile Liability; Liquor Liability $1,000,000.

Send COI and endorsements with the ACE application.

Additional insured: City of Austin (CG 2010 or equivalent); Waiver of Subrogation (CG 2404 or equivalent); 30-day Notice of Cancellation (CG 0205 or equivalent). Certificate holder AND endorsements must read: City of Austin, ATTN: TPW - Office of Special Events, P.O. Box 1088, Austin, TX 78767. Carrier licensed in Texas, A.M. Best B+ VII or better; primary/non-contributory; claims-made needs retro date; maintain 2 years after. Parkland events add auto (hired/owned/non-owned) and cannot be waived. Document dated 2023.