Denver event permits for brand activations

Lead time:

60 calendar days

Fee:

Processing fee by daily attendance: 1-350 $25; 351-3,000 $75; 3,001-10,000 $150; 10,000+ $250. Doubled if submitted less than 60 days before first setup date. Rush fee equal to the application fee if City requirements not in 5 days before setup. Other agencies charge separately.

Standard deadline: 60 days prior to the event set up date. PEFP will NOT accept applications submitted less than 30 days before the event setup date. First-time or complex events: contact PEFP about 90 days before setup. All City requirements must be submitted 5 days before setup.

Apply in the PEFP portal (specialeventapplication.denvergov.org). Invoice is emailed; pay within 3 days for application to be Under Review.

EOP applies only to events on public property (parks, streets, sidewalks, alleys, plazas) that include a trigger element: propane/open flame, generators over 5kW, stages/structures, sale of items (tickets, food, alcohol, merchandise), hired security, etc. Low-impact events (350 or fewer attendees/day, fully in a park, no ROW closure, no pyro, no drones) do not need an EOP. Private/invite-only events generally do not. fee_cents shown is the 351-3,000 tier as a typical figure.

Lead time:

30 calendar days

Fee:

Fee amounts not listed on the event pages.

At least 30 days before the event, submitted to Excise and Licenses. Fire permit for events with liquor permit: 45 days. Special event cabaret permit also required for entertainment.

Apply via Excise and Licenses (exlapplications@denvergov.org or 311). Needs non-profit EIN, CO Certificate of Good Standing, preliminary park permit or approved SERSOP.

GOTCHA: "Only non-profit organizations can apply for a Special Event Liquor Permit"; all alcohol proceeds must benefit the non-profit. A for-profit brand cannot self-permit alcohol sampling this way; it would need to partner with a non-profit or a licensed premises. Alcohol sampling by brand ambassadors on public property is not addressed.

Lead time:

60 calendar days

Fee:

Not published on page; DOTI points to a Street Occupancy Request Form (XLS estimator) to calculate cost.

DEADLINE: 60 days before your event (upload through EOP application).

Upload to the EOP application: traffic control plan from a barricade company, certificate of insurance naming City and County of Denver as certificate holder, community notification flyer, site map of what goes on the street/sidewalk. Questions: SEAOA@denvergov.org.

DOTI says a street occupancy permit is required for any event in the street, sidewalk, or right-of-way. DOTI permitting freeze Nov 26, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027 noted on the Street Occupancy page (https://www.denvergov.org/Government/Agencies-Departments-Offices/Agencies-Departments-Offices-Directory/Department-of-Transportation-and-Infrastructure/Programs-Services/Right-of-Way-Services/Street-Occupancy).

Lead time:

60 calendar days

Fee:

Not published in the guide.

DEADLINE: 60 days prior to event. Submit Special Event Meter Request Form. (DOTI Street Occupancy page: meter bagging requests take up to 72 hours to process, submit at least one week before.)

Submit the Special Event Meter Request Form; questions 303-446-3759.

Meters can only be used for event infrastructure and production, not personal vehicle parking. Yellow bags = permit vehicles only; red = no parking. Two timelines are published (60 days in guide vs one week on DOTI page); plan for 60.

Lead time:

Not published on the page fetched; details are in a 16th Street Rental Packet and Permit Application.

Fee:

Not published on the page fetched (fee schedule is in the packet).

Contact info@downtowndenver.com or (303) 534-6161 and request the 16th Street Rental Packet.

Page describes the Mall as a venue for special events and sampling activity. Vending program not accepting applications (2026 program interest list). Busking: no fee but no amplifiers and 10am-9pm (separate program). Banners/posters governed by DRMC 49-437, $25 application (search result).

Lead time:

45 calendar days

Fee:

2024 DFD fee sheet: Tent 200-1000 sq ft $100; Tents 1000-4,999 sq ft $125; Canopies 401-1999 sq ft $125; Multiple tents +$25; Candles/Sterno/open flame $50 single / $175 annual; Temp heating appliance $75; Vendor $75 single event; Small community event $75; Mid-size event $250; Large event $500; LPG fuel use separate.

Event permitting guide: submit Fire Permit Application at least 45 days prior to event (45 days if a liquor permit is needed too). DFD fee sheet: permits submitted less than 14 days prior to the event incur double fees. DFD guidelines page itself states no lead time, only that permit be issued prior to the event.

Review DFD Special Event Guidelines, then submit the Fire Permit Application. Contact SpecialEventsDFD@denvergov.org, Fire Prevention 720-913-3474.

Tent permit needed at 200 sq ft or larger; canopies 400 sq ft and larger. No cooking or heating in tents/canopies/booths. 2A:10BC extinguisher serviced within last year for vendors and tents; Type K for oil cooking. 300 lb propane max per vendor site. Fee sheet is 2024 (may have changed). Annual permits due by Feb 15. fee_cents = single tent 200-1000 sq ft.

Lead time:

30 calendar days

Fee:

DFD 2024 fee sheet: Temp Generator $75 (fuel use calculated separately). Electrical permit fee not published.

DEADLINE: 30 days prior to event for generators 5kW and over (fire permit and electrical permit).

Fire: SpecialEventsDFD@denvergov.org / 720-527-9418. Electrical: only a licensed electrician can apply; electrical.review@denvergov.org / 720-865-2700.

Under 5kW: no permit needed, but follow Portable Generators guidance. No refueling while event is open to the public. Generators over 5kW also trigger an EOP. The flags_all value is a loose fit because the schema has no generator flag; match this rule on tent/vehicle/amplified setups that use generators.

Lead time:

30 calendar days

Fee:

License fee amounts are not listed on the event pages.

DEADLINE: 30 days prior to event for food vendor approval and licensing. Retail Food Mobile License can take several weeks.

Apply via the Permitting and Licensing Center (Accela) with Affidavit of Commissary and Temporary Restaurant Acknowledgement Letter. Contacts: phicomments@denvergov.org, licenses@denvergov.org.

Organizers must verify vendor licenses or the event may be fined (up to $2,000 per DDPHE slides). Brick-and-mortar licenses do not transfer to events. Food trucks need Retail Food Mobile License; Denver does not accept other cities food truck licenses. Colorado Cottage Foods Act sales may be exempt. A hand-washing station is required for sampling potentially hazardous foods. The event page does NOT address product sampling, see sampling-exemption-unconfirmed.

Lead time:

Not published.

Fee:

Not published.

Email phicomments@denvergov.org or call Public Health Investigations (720-865-5401) to confirm whether a given sampling activation needs a temporary license before booking.

A search summary of a 2019 Denver temporary retail food guide indicated sampling-only operations may not need a temporary license, but I could not confirm this in the guide text I downloaded. Do not rely on it. Pre-packaged giveaways (no open food) are not addressed either.

Lead time:

30 calendar days

Fee:

No permit fee. Violations can lead to fines up to $5,000 per day.

Event permitting guide lists noise documentation deadline as 30 days prior to event. DDPHE fact sheet: DDPHE does not issue noise permits.

Submit site map showing stage, speakers, generators, nearest residences, plus setup/sound-check times. Ask phicomments@denvergov.org whether the event qualifies for exempted status. Events with private property in the footprint file a Notice of Intent (NOI).

Limits at nearest residence: 55 dB(A) 7am-10pm, 50 dB(A) 10pm-7am. Properly permitted public events open to general public on public property may qualify for exemption: 85 dB(A) 8am-10pm, 55 dB(A) 7-8am, 50 dB(A) 10pm-7am. Exemption limited to max 4 consecutive days then 30-day rest, 8 total days per calendar year per location. Private events get normal limits.

Lead time:

60 calendar days

Fee:

Amounts are in a linked Permit Fees PDF not captured; charged per day, per permit location.

Public Event page: "Applications must be submitted no later than 60 days prior to the first permitted day of the activity". Park permit applications open November 1 for the following season. Special Occasion (private) permits: 30 days (from search result only). DPR not accepting NEW Public Event applications at Civic Center Park for 2027 season.

Get a Preliminary Park Permit from DPR before applying to PEFP. park.permits@denvergov.org, 720-913-0700. DPR confirms availability and invoices within 10 days; park-specific checklist due 30 days before setup.

Commercial/promotional/sampling use of parks is not addressed on the page (it links to Temporary Vending). Confirm with the Parks Permit Office. Applicant must be 18+. Insurance required (details in linked PDF).

Lead time:

30 calendar days

Fee:

"There is not an annual special event fee." Existing Denver licensees need no new license or fee.

Event permitting guide: 30 days prior to event, organizers must tell all vendors to pay Denver sales tax. Treasury FAQ: events under two weeks use a special event license; two weeks or longer require a regular Denver sales tax account.

Non-local/pop-up vendors register for a Special Event Sales Tax account and file online. Sales tax due the 20th of the month following the event. Treasury 720-913-9446.

Applies if the brand sells product. Pure free sampling and giveaways are not addressed.

Lead time:

Not found.

Fee:

Not found.

Ask Denver Business Licensing (licenses@denvergov.org) and DOTI (SEAOA@denvergov.org) about handbill distribution and table/booth setups on sidewalks.

I could not find official Denver pages or DRMC text on handbill/sampling street teams. Known: anything placed on a sidewalk/street (tables, tents) triggers a street occupancy permit per DOTI. Denver has a Food Peddler license for prepared/pre-packaged food sold on foot (Business Licensing Retail Food page). Walking ambassadors with nothing placed on the sidewalk: unconfirmed.

Lead time:

60 calendar days

Fee:

Cost of the policy is the applicant cost.

Street closure COI is uploaded with the EOP/SERSOP package (60 days). Parks facilities rules ask for proof 21 days before permit start (facility rental rules, not confirmed for park events).

Name City and County of Denver as certificate holder (event guide). DOTI entrance requirements doc says liability policy naming City and County of Denver as additionally insured. Policies need 30 days notice of cancellation, 10 days for non-payment.

MINIMUM LIMITS NOT FOUND on any official page I fetched. Do not tell clients $1M/$2M for Denver without confirming with PEFP. DFD guidelines: parades and pyro COI names City and County of Denver as co-insured.

Lead time:

Not found.

Fee:

Not found.

Confirm with DOTI and Denver Parking before booking. Metered spaces for events require the meter bagging permit.

No official Denver page on parked advertising vehicles was found. A Westword article reports that Denver bans marijuana advertising on vehicle signs and wraps; general mobile billboard rules not confirmed.