East Bay Regional Parks District: Embrace Life!

Activities » Permits » Booking and Planning a Special Event
Booking and Planning a Special Event

Why plan a Special Event with the East Bay Regional Park District?

East Bay Regional Park District has over 65 regional parks all over the East Bay area. There are over 100,000 acres of land, 1,100 miles of trails, picnic and camping areas, and several swimming spots making it one of the most unique park districts in the country.  When it comes to planning a special event the East Bay Regional Park District offers many services to make your event easier to plan. If required, lifeguards, public safety officers, additional staff, and sanitation trailer rentals may be available at an additional cost. In some locations picnic and camping reservations are available.

> Special Event Permit Fees

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When do you need a Special Event Permit?

Special event permits are required for events such as walkathons, organized trainings, athletic competitions, festivals, or other activities which go beyond the scope of normal park use, or which requires partial use of an area within a park. A permit is also required if you advertise the event or if there is a participation fee.  Non-Park District agencies or individuals sponsoring smaller, on-going recreation classes or programs that utilize District parkland or trail systems are also required to obtain a permit. 

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Deadlines

• 1 Year Prior- Special Events may be booked up to one year in advance.  It is strongly encouraged to start the application process as early as possible in order to confirm date(s), location, and approvals. A non-refundable deposit is due at the time of booking in order to hold your date.

• 90 days Prior-New events or especially complicated events require a minimum of 90 days. Some events will need approval from the Board of Directors. This can take 90 days or longer.

• 60 Days Prior-Full Application must be completed and submitted to the Reservations Supervisor to avoid Late Fees. ($100 late fee will apply if certificate of insurance, signed application, event plan with Park Supervisor signature, or fees for the event have not been submitted)

• 30 Days Prior-No new permit applications will be accepted whatsoever.

• 15 Days Prior-Event is cancelled if full application is not complete.

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What constitutes a complete application?

• A complete and signed application by the applicant, the Park Supervisor, Park Unit Manager, Reservations Supervisor and Public Safety and Aquatics staff, if required.
• An event plan—discussed with and signed by Park(s) Supervisor
• An event map—discussed with and signed by Park(s) Supervisor
• Meet the Insurance Requirements
• Complete payment of all fees

**Once all of the above is complete a Firm Permit will be issued.**

• A Firm Permit is the final contract, with all rules and regulations outlined.  The Event is NOT confirmed until the Firm Permit has been signed by the applicant and returned to the Reservations Supervisor.

**One person must be responsible for the entire application process. For example, the person who signs the permit application must be the same person who signs the firm contract.  This person is required to be at the event. They will be considered the event coordinator.**

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Step 1: Tentative Booking

• Contact the Reservations Supervisor to see if the date and park of choice is available. (encouraged to do one year in advance)
• New events must provide a short written description of the event proposal with key information, including date, time, number of people and information about the type of event.
• A non-refundable deposit is due at time of booking.
• After completing the above the Reservations Supervisor will send out a Special Event Application.

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Step 2: Complete Application

• Fill in and complete all areas of the application where instructed to do so including a signature.

• Create a complete event plan, which includes detailed time schedule, activities, emergency/safety plan and parking permit plan. If needed, information dealing with vehicle access, extra sanitation trailers, extra staff, lifeguards, public safety officers, vendors, garbage pick-up, early or late gate opening, electric hookup, bounce houses, etc. should be included in the event plan. Everything you will need for the duration of your event from set-up to clean-up MUST be detailed in this plan. If you make changes to your event plan, you may be asked to resubmit your application.

• Please include all the following information:

o Name and description of the type of organization you represent. Is it a non-profit organization? (Non-profit groups must have State/Federal non-profit ID number.)
o Type of event, purpose and attendance. Open to the public?
o Will entry/participation fees be charged? If so, prices?
o Do you require amplified sound? For what purpose?
o Will you have vendors, food, or alcohol sold?
o What special services or facilities do you require (ie... parking, electricity, trash bins, extra park staff, lifeguards, vehicle access, etc...)
o Methods of publicity and promotion?
o Security required?

•  Please review our Sample Event Plan page

• A park map with diagrams showing important event features such as start and finish areas, trails to be used, course monitors, and aid station(s). Maps of park trails may be found at http://www.ebparks.org/parks or on internet map sites, such as Google maps.

**The Reservations Supervisor will instruct when you can go forward and meet with the Park Supervisor(s) directly or if any additional people need to attend the pre-event meeting.**

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Step 3: Mandatory Pre-Event Meeting

• Arrange a face-to-face meeting with the appropriate Park Supervisor(s) and staff. Find the appropriate Park(s) Supervisor for your meeting using our Park Supervisor List on page 8 of the application packet, or by calling the phone number listed on the park’s webpage.

• Bring your completed application. Be ready to explain in detail the event plan.  Park Supervisor or other District staff may require changes or offer suggestions to the event plan. Be prepared to discuss fees for park entry, services being provided by the park that are beyond the scope of a special event permit and their corresponding fees, services being provided by an outside organization, and any other concerns that the Applicant or the Park Supervisor may find with the event plan.

• Please review park boundary maps carefully and specify in the reservation request, on the application and the event plan if your event passes through multiple park boundaries. Each park has a different supervisor and the application will need to be approved by each of them. The application may take more time to be approved if there are multiple parks involved. Plan accordingly.

• Some events leave EBRPD property and use other public agency lands or private lands. It is the responsibility of the applicant to secure the appropriate permission to use other properties impacted by the event. You may be asked to show proof of permission or provide copies of your permits from other landowners.

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Step 4: Insurance and Liability

Evidence of General Liability insurance Coverage in an amount not less than one million dollars ($1,000,000) combined single limit bodily injury and property damage for each occurrence is required. 

The following two items are required and must be included in the Certificate of Insurance to demonstrate appropriate insurance coverage:

• List as Certificate Holder:
East Bay Regional Park district,
Attn: Reservations Supervisor
P.O. Box 5381
Oakland, CA 94605-0321

• Additional Insured Endorsement which contains the following language:
“The East Bay Regional Park District, its officers, employees, and agents are named as an additional insured with respect to liability arising out of (name of event) to be held on (dates).This insurance shall be the primary coverage for this event.”

**Referrals are available through EBRPD’s insurance. Contact the Risk Management Department at (510)544-2163. For more information contact the Reservations Supervisor.**

• Additional endorsements and permits may be required if the event involves the use of vehicles driven on the internal park roads, or if food or alcoholic beverages are sold or served at the event.

• Quarry Lakes Insurance: Events at Quarry Lakes Regional Park must also name “Alameda County Water District” as additional insured.

• Events that include Contra Costa Trails must also name “Contra Costa County, its employees, officials and agents” as additional insured. 

• Waivers - All athletic special events or events with a competitive nature, excluding school sponsored events and training events, are required to have ALL participants sign a waiver. For example this includes but is not limited to, marathons, triathlons, equestrian events, swimming events, and bicycling events. If the participant is under the age of 18, the waiver must be signed by a parent or guardian.
o If the sponsoring organization does not have a wavier, they may use the East Bay Regional Parks standard waiver.
See: www.ebparks.org/activities/permits/waiverspecialevents
o If the sponsoring event does have its own waiver it must incorporate the following language: I understand and agree that this athletic event will test physical and mental limits and there is the possibility that I may suffer property loss, serious injury or death.  This could be caused by the terrain, facilities, trail conditions and/or traffic on the roads and trails.  This could also be caused by the actions of other people include in but not limited to participants, volunteers, spectators, event producers, course monitors, members of the ___________________________________, and East Bay Regional Park District employees, directors and or volunteers.  I HEREBY FREELY AND VOLUNTARILY ASSUME ALL RISKS OF PARTICIPATING IN THIS EVENT. ______________(Initial)

**Proof of insurance may be emailed or faxed to the Reservations Supervisor.  A hard copy is not required in order to save paper.**

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Step 5: Fees

Fees vary depending on the size and scope of the event. Contact the Reservations Supervisor Tiffany Margulici for a quote based on your event proposal at tmargulici@ebparks.org.  For a list of fees see page 9 of the Sample Special Event Permit Application Packet. [Acrobat PDF]

We accept Visa, MasterCard or check as form of payment. For Checks, please reference your contract number and the event date on your check. Please send checks to:

Attn.: Reservations Supervisor
East Bay Regional Park District
2950 Peralta Oaks Court
Oakland, CA 94605

A $100 late fee applies of the total Balance of fees has not been paid 60 days prior to the event. Fees must be paid prior to the issuance of the permit. Failure to pay fees can result in cancellation of an event. Vendor fees, per participant fees or percentages of program revenue are due within 30 days after your event. Additional fees due prior to the event may include charges for picnic sites, camp sites, facility rental fees, staffing fees and other fees. 

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Step 6: Permit

• Once the application is complete and the Reservations Supervisor has received all your paperwork, a Firm Permit will be issued.  Applicant must sign and return the Firm Permit to the Reservations Supervisor.  It will then be returned to the Applicant for their records.  Until the Firm Permit has been signed and returned to the Reservations Supervisor, the Special Event in question is NOT confirmed.

• Sample of Special Events Firm Permit

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Additional information

Parking Fees:

• Parking must be discussed with the Park Supervisor at the face-to-face meeting.
• All participants, spectators, volunteers, and event staff are required to pay parking fees, if charged at that park. 
• To facilitate easy and quick access to the park, especially for large events, it is recommended that the price of parking be built into the event registration fee. The event coordinator should then create a parking pass to be given out with participant application package. The event coordinator would pay for all parking fees in one lump sum on the day of the event. Parking pass must be approved by Park Supervisor prior to distribution.
• Parking systems may vary from park to park.

Other Permits:

• If first approved by the District, it is the responsibility of the event coordinator to contact the city/county that the park is located and receive if necessary the proper permits for:

o Sale of Merchandise
o Sale/service of food or alcohol
o Other possible permits required
o See: Other Required Permits by East Bay Regional Park District 

**You will need to supply copies of these permits to the District before receive a Firm Permit.**

Additional Rules For Athletic Special Events:

• See: Marathons, Walk-A-Thons, Equestrian, Bicycling Events, etc.
• See: Swimming Events

• In your Event Plan, a safety and evacuation plan needs to be included. It is also recommended to collect emergency contact information. It is required for Athletic events.
• At all times, have on hand the East Bay Regional Park Districts Dispatch Number and contact them should anything go wrong.

o For Emergencies Only: (510) 881-1121
o For Non-Emergencies use: (510) 881-1833

Other Important Deadlines:

• 14-30 days prior to event—Email or deliver event notification, i.e. a poster including dates and times of the event to the Park Supervisor. This will be posted to inform the public that a special event will be happening in the park.
• 7-10 days prior to event—contact Park Supervisor to ensure everything is in order.
• 7-10 days prior to event—If lifeguards are needed, contact Aquatics Supervisor to confirm schedule and staffing
• 7-10 days prior to event—If Public Safety Officers are needed, contact Watch Commander
• 1 Day prior to event—If the use of a boat is part of a special event it must be brought in one day prior for inspection. You should contact Park Supervisor to schedule an inspection time. (See Quagga Mussel)

**Contact the Reservations Supervisor, if there is difficulty contacting the people above or if there appears to be a problem.**

Green Events Encouraged:

• BE GREEN: Whenever possible, use reusable, recyclable and biodegradable materials. Styrofoam is discouraged. Balloons are discouraged as they tend to get caught in trees and are a hazard for wildlife. For piñatas, it is recommended to place a tarp on the ground and clean-up completely. Plants and animals are protected in the parks.  Removal of wildlife or any object from parklands is prohibited. All regular park rules apply for special events.
• Please talk with the Park Supervisor about possible recycling/composting options for a special event.

Web Publicity Form:

• To have an event posted on EBRPD’s website for the public, you may request a form from the Reservations Supervisor.  Once the event is approved it will be posted on www.ebparks.org.

> Special Events Cancellation Policy

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Questions? Contact

East Bay Regional Park District
Reservations Department:
2950 Peralta Oaks Court
Oakland, CA 94605
Reservations Supervisor:
Tiffany Margulici
Phone: (510) 544-2540
Fax: (510) 639-4757
Email: tmargulici@ebparks.org

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