Permits aplenty for Park City fun
January 31st, 2008, 2:14 am Hobbies Ideas
PARK CITY Try this joke at your next Sundance Film Festival party: How many people does it take to hang a sign in Park City?
Punch line: More people than it takes to screw in a light bulb.
If nobody laughs, act surprised. Then explain about Park City’s elaborate system for issuing permits for signs, parties, lounges and screenings and then everyone will be amazed.
For each temporary sign in Park City like the ones scattered up and down Main Street advertising gifting suites and celebrity lounges there are permits, site plans, color schemes and details that must be approved. That’s not to mention the conditional use permits, temporary business licenses, liquor licenses and overcrowding permits that must be approved for every unofficial Sundance activity.
“This is one of our most important events of the year,” said Ron Ivie, Park City’s chief building official. “It’s crazy, and there’s a point when it gets beyond crazy.”
The Sundance Film Festival is handled separately as a “master festival license holder,” but all of the ancillary events that take place at the same time as the festival must still receive a variety of approvals from the city before they can function legally. The city has code enforcement officials on the streets every day to make sure buildings are in compliance with the city’s regulations.
Story continues below
If a temporary facility, renting space from a permanent business on Main Street, for example, violates those regulations, even the permanent business holder can be censured and fined by the city. Those temporary locations cause the most problems, Ivie says.
“Sundance itself, as an event, we have very little problem with,” Ivie said. “It’s well-planned in advance and it’s rare that we get a problem with Sundance. The more likely problems, as far as enforcement problems, are these other activities that are here because of Sundance but not part of it.”
The city has strict requirements for granting its permits. Even site plans for temporary buildings like tents have to include details of the interior of the facility, chairs, tables and a plan for trash removal, heating, food service and snow removal.
Businesses who sell beer and alcohol to their guests are required to get a license from the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, but the department does make some exceptions.
This year the DABC only issued seven single-event permits and one temporary beer license for the festival. Most of the elite parties were not required to obtain licenses because events that are invitation-only, where alcohol is served for free, are not required to receive licenses.
“I’m sure there are many, many parties and events going on, but if there’s no sale and they’re not open to the public, then they don’t need a permit,” said Sharon Mackay, department spokeswoman. “It’s anybody’s guess how many permits you would need if you grouped (public and private events) together.”
Only one temporary food service permit was issued by the Summit County Health Department for the festival, but 50 individuals received food-handlers permits to participate in the festival.
Parties that use caterers who are licensed in the county aren’t required to apply for the food permits and restaurants are regulated regularly anyway, but health department public information officer Katie Mullaly says the department plans to crack down more on festival festivities next year.
“We need to work next year to make sure that everyone knows they need to go through us,” Mullaly said. “After seeing this year how many places were serving food vs. how many parties we had, we’re starting to realize … we need to do a better effort at education and make sure they have a permit.”
Tags: amp, dance film, lace, lai, summitRelated posts
