New Event Permit Requirements
Events must have an end time of or before 11:59 p.m. on the date of the event.
Events with any form of amplified sound will be required to end the amplification by or before 11 p.m.
Event applicants that have had a permit request denied can submit a formal appeal to have their permit request reviewed for reconsideration. The appeal will be reviewed by a committee of Metro employees and will operate independently of the Special Events Office.
Permit requests for consecutive or individual multiple dates will be limited to ten total dates per permit issued. Permit requests that exceed ten dates will require review and approval from the Special Events Office and Metro Council
The Metro Nashville Fire Department will require all event footprints to allow for a fire lane with a minimum width of 20 feet. The fire lane must be designed to be easily accessible by emergency vehicles and allow for a straight path of travel through the event footprint.
The Metro Nashville Fire Department will require all event applicants to provide a list of vendors, sponsors, or any entity pertinent to the event that will be using any type of fire source.
If the event you are planning will use motor coaches as a form of transportation to the event site you will need to provide a written document to the Special Events Office that will include the following information:
- The total number of vehicles.
- The planned route for arrival to and departure from the event site.
- The location that the vehicles will be parking at during the event.
- Contact information for the person coordinating the arrival and departure on the event date.
Placement of signage promoting your event is not permitted within any public right-of-way. Detour and closure notification signage are exempt from this requirement.
The following event checklist items will be due upon approval of the Event Permit application. Previously they had been due two weeks prior to the event date.
- The event footprint site plan. Site plans must be legible and provide sufficient detail for any elements impacting the event footprint.
- The parade route map.
- The parade route turn by turn narrative.
Freedom of Expression at Permitted Events
The following is Information pertinent to freedom of expression at permitted events: General Guidelines.
Events permitted by Metro Government (Office of Film and Special Events) must not infirm constitutional freedoms. Individuals will be allowed to utilize all public spaces open to the general public to engage in constitutional freedoms.
Individuals’ access to public parks, public streets, public areas/plazas of public spaces and other traditional public forums, for constitutionally protected activities, shall not be abridged by lessees or permits. Individuals engaging in constitutional freedoms must be allowed everywhere the general public is allowed. Metro shall protect speakers in the same manner as they protect the general public regardless of the speakers’ viewpoint and nothing herein shall be construed to remove the protections of the public duty doctrine exception to liability under the Tennessee Governmental Liability Act. Metro will not engage in viewpoint discrimination.
Metro Government (Office of Film and Special Events) must:
- Ensure Special Event permittees follow permitting schemes for events not to exceed boundaries applied for.
- The event applicant must communicate the General Guidelines and Specific terms herein, as part of the permitting process, to the security company working the permitted event, whether regular Metro Nashville Police officers on duty or off duty as security and/or any private security for the Special Event.
Permit Application Process
- Complete and submit the event permit application below. Note: Completing the application does not guarantee your event will be approved. All events are required to obtain a Street, Lane or Sidewalk Closure application and comply with all the requirements of that permit. Depending on your event, you may need to obtain additional permits or meet additional requirements.
- A permit application fee of $330.00 will be required for a Special Event application and permit application fee of $100 for a Parade Permit application. If your event will include both a parade and an event, you will need to submit a $430 fee for both permit applications. You will also be required to pay a Right of Way Permit application fee of $100. Make check payable to Metro Government. Please note that these fees are not refundable. The completed Event Permit Application will be distributed to representatives in the relevant Departments of Metro Government (Special Event Committee).
- Applications can be submitted no more than one year prior to the event and no less than 45 days before the event date. Applications submitted less than 45 days before the event date will be denied.
- Department representatives will also list any permits and/ or prerequisites required by their department.
- Most events will require a meeting of relevant Metro Departments and the event organizer.
- If your event requires a parade permit, the Metro Nashville Police Department representative and the Nashville Department of Transportation representatives will approve the route or make adjustments.
- Nashville Department of Transportation will determine if streets need to be closed as well as where barricades and/or cones will need to be used.
- Police and Nashville Department of Transportation representatives will determine the number of required police officers/security officers the event organizer will be responsible for hiring.
- All additional permits and requirements must be submitted to the Special Events office no later than two weeks prior to the event. Failure to submit all additional permits and requirements two weeks prior to the event will result in the denial of an event permit. Once the event organizer obtains all necessary permits and additional requirements, the Special Events Office will issue a Special Event Permit and/or the Metro Nashville Police Chief will issue a Parade Permit.