Host a Special Event

A Special Event is:

• Organized one time, annually or infrequently occurring community event or function;
• Significantly impacts municipal services (such as transportation, emergency services, community services) and may be held in South Huron:
• On any municipal property or in a municipal facility; or
• On private property.
• Open to the general public or to the general public by admittance. 

Your event may require a Special Event Permit if:

• Event on any outdoor property owned or operated by the Municipality of South Huron:

  • Roads / road allowances (street festivals, parades and races)

  • Parks and parkettes

  • Parking lots

  • Alleyways, both assumed and un-assumed

  • Walkways, pathways and trails

  • Waterfront areas and/or beaches

  • Open spaces

• And, there will be any of the following:
  • Food being given or sold to the general public at an event open to the public
  • Sale or consumption of alcohol at an event open to the public
  • Sound amplification
  • Tents larger than 30m² (Fire Safety Plan is required and possibly a Building Permit)
  • Stages
  • Amusement rides or inflatables

Examples of events that do not require permits include (assuming municipal services are not significantly affected):

• Events organized by local schools, churches, the municipality, or County and located on their respective properties;
• Events held on local school or church or County property;
• Private social gatherings which will not use municipal property other than for lawful parking (family reunions, picnics or similar activities, garage sales, etc.);
• Events held at licenced host venues/businesses (restaurants, bars, function rooms etc.); and 
• Events that are regular recurring normal business activities/promotions, or held as part of the normal operations of a business and provided the use is permitted in the municipal zoning by-law.

The Municipality of South Huron has a by-law in effect to regulate and govern the holding of Special Events in the Municipality. 

If you are unsure if your event requires a Special Event Permit, please contact the Clerk's department at 519-235-0310. 

If it has been determined that your event requires a Special Event Permit, applications must be complete and submitted 60 calendar days prior to the planned event, together with payment of application fee to the Clerk, Municipality of South Huron. 

Special Event Application

Application fee payable to the Municipality of South Huron:

• Moderate Events with 50 to 999 attendees $50 administration fee + $50 application fee = $100 total fee
• Major Events with 1,000 attendees or more $50 administration fee + $500 application fee = $550 total fee
• Notes:
  • Administration fee is non-refundable and cannot be waived
  • Application fee may be waived at the discretion of the Clerk if the event is for charitable or not-for-profit purposes or for the benefit of the South Huron community.

Once your complete application has been submitted, a pre-consultation meeting will be scheduled with the organizer and municipal staff to discuss your event in detail.

Please review the Special Event Planning Resources to determine what supporting documentation and details may be required for your event.

After the pre-consultation meeting, a summary of supporting documentation required will be provided to the organizers with submission deadlines. 

Council approval is required if your event includes one of the following:

• Expected attendance over 1,000;
• Alcohol used/sold;
• Requires an exemption to existing by-laws, such as:
  • Zoning by-law;
  • Noise by-law exemption (amplified sound and/or within prohibited period of time);
• Road Closure/Sidewalk Use;
• Deeming the event municipally significant; and
• Use of Municipal resources requested (barricades, snow fence, electrical/water hookup).

Once all supporting documentation has been provided and deemed satisfactory, staff will issue the Special Event Permit. 

As the applicant, it is your responsibility to ensure that your organization complies with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. 

If you are planning on having alcoholic beverages at your event, you will need to adhere to both provincial and municipal guidelines to ensure that you are legally permitted to serve alcohol.  Provincially, all alcohol licensing is handled by the Alcohol & Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) and issued through the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) stores.  You will not be permitted to serve alcohol on municipal property without applying for and obtaining a licence from AGCO. 

Municipally, South Huron has a Municipal Alcohol Risk Management Policy.  This policy is intended to complement approvals and conditions required through the AGCO licence process.  It is your responsibility to obtain a copy of the Municipality’s alcohol policy and review and adhere to the requirements.

The use of Amusement Rides and/or Inflatables at events requires additional documents and safety parameters.

All rides and inflatables shall meet the safety requirements as outlined in the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) guidelines. Tie-down straps and electrical cords shall be positioned so as not to cause trip hazards.  Inflatables shall be deflated and removed from event site daily. All rides and inflatables shall be appropriately weighted down and staffed at all times.

It is recommended that inflatables be weighted by concrete blocks or water barrels. For information on digging/staking, jump to Utility Locates. 

See Insurance for additional insurance requirements for operation of Amusement Rides and/or Inflatables at events.  

A burn permit is required for all burning within the Municipality of South Huron. 

As required by the Ontario Fire Code, open-air burning is only permitted with approval from the Fire Chief which is granted in the form of an authorized burn permit obtained from the Municipality of South Huron. 

Further information may be found on our Controlled Burning page. 

The following event components require Council approval:

• Expected attendance over 1,000;
• Alcohol used/sold;
• Requires an exemption to existing by-laws, such as:
  • Zoning by-law;
  • Noise by-law exemption (amplified sound and/or within prohibited period of time);
• Road Closure/Sidewalk Use;
• Deeming the event municipally significant; and
• Use of Municipal resources requested (barricades, snow fence, electrical/water hookup).

Emergency access to sites, buildings and participants must be maintained during events.  The Ontario Fire Code and Ontario Building Code require fire access routes. 

For more information, please contact the Fire Chief, South Huron Emergency Services, 519-235-1981.

If your event requires First Aid/Ambulance Services on site, you may contact Huron County Emergency Services at 519-524-8394.

There are also private service providers that may meet the requirements of your event, for example, St. John’s Ambulance.

All events on municipal property or in a municipal facility must be booked through Community Services and are subject to the Conditions of Use identified in the Facility Rental Contract.

Organizer's are responsible for facility rental related to the special event.

Any on-site food preparation and vending is subject to guidelines and inspection administered by the Huron Perth Public Health.  

For more information, contact Huron Perth Public Health.

As an attachment to the Special Event application, the applicant shall provide written proof that the applicant has obtained a General Liability Insurance Policy in relation to the event with limits of not less than Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000) inclusive per occurrence for bodily injury, death and damage to property including the loss of use thereof. 

The Certificate of Insurance must name the Municipality of South Huron as an additional named insured. 

The Policy must include coverage for cross liability and shall contain an endorsement to provide the Municipality of South Huron with 30 days written notice of cancellation or material change that would diminish coverage.

The Municipality reserves the right to increase the liability amount and/or request additional coverages for events deemed to pose a higher risk to the Municipality.

In Ontario, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) is responsible for regulating and overseeing licenced lottery events (such as bingo, raffles and sale of break open tickets) conducted by charitable and religious organizations to raise funds to support charitable purposes.  The Registrar of AGCO and Municipal Councils may issue lottery licences to charitable organizations. 

For more information visit our Lottery Licence page or contact the Clerk’s Office, Municipality of South Huron, 519-235-0310.

A copy of the Refreshment Vehicle Licence is required (if licenced by a jurisdiction other than the Municipality of South Huron) and/or a food truck inspection conducted by the South Huron Fire Chief.  Any mobile food service equipment, whether or not permanently parked, containing propane or other hydrocarbon fuel fire cooking appliances shall provide verification of compliance with TSSA (Technical Standards & Safety Authority).  The food booth, trailer, chip wagon or enclosed cooking area must be equipped with a proper commercial range hood, exhaust and fixed fire extinguishing system in accordance with NFPA #96 (National Fire Protection Association) if there is any deep frying, grilling or char-broiling taking place within the confines of the vehicle. 

For more information please contact the Fire Chief, South Huron Emergency Services, 519-235-1981.

Events playing music, including but not limited to a band, disc jockey, radio, personal music player, etc., may be subject to a SOCAN tariff (Society of Composers, Authors & Music Publishers of Canada). 

More information is available at www.socan.ca or by calling Community Services at 519-235-0310 extension 302.

The Municipality has a By-Law in place to prohibit or regulate certain noises likely to disturb those nearby.  Visit our By-Law webpage for more information. 

For more information please contact the Municipal Office at 519-235-0310.

Event applicants requiring use of any road allowance, including sidewalks, within the Municipality of South Huron must complete a Events on Roads & Sidewalk Application for approval by municipal staff. 

A detailed Parade Plan is required for all parades on municipal roadways.

A Parade Plan should include the following details:

• Name and main contact for parade communications (cell phone);
• Parade route map indicating:
  • Barricade locations and approximate installation time from municipal staff;
  • Command post location (one location required);
  • Parade Marshall locations along route and contact information (cell phone);
• Procedure for reporting a serious situation or injury. 

All parties involved must be brief on the above details prior to the commencement of parade.

Event applicants requiring use of any road allowance, including sidewalks, within the Municipality of South Huron must complete a Events on Roads & Sidewalk Application for approval by municipal staff, together with a map of the proposed route. Signage and/or barricades clearly designating road closures and alternate routes will be required. The municipality will open and close the road and provide proper notification with all approved Road Closure Applications.

Giving consideration to the nature and purpose of the event, the applicant may be required to employ the services of one or more paid duty officer to ensure the safe and orderly flow of traffic during the event. 

Note that for any road use/closures requiring approval from Huron County, the Municipality of South Huron will not issue (or will revoke) its approval until the Huron County approval is obtained.

The occupancy load for each room and space in municipally owned buildings and other public buildings is posted at each venue and on our Rent a Facility page.  Depending on the event being hosted and if alcohol is being served, the number will vary at each location. 

For more information please contact the Fire Chief, South Huron Emergency Services, 519-235-1981. 

The security and safety of all private and public events is the responsibility of the event applicant. 

The applicant must copy the Municipality of South Huron on their written notification of the event to the Huron County OPP Detachment, 325 Albert Street, Clinton, ON N0M 1L0, 519-482-1677. 

Special events may require the completion of an operational plan upon request by the Municipality of South Huron or the Huron County OPP Detachment. The operational plan may require security provisions consisting of any combination of volunteer security, paid private security or paid duty police officers.  The required number and type of security personnel is dictated by the type of event, attendance capacity and size of the venue.

Changes to the Smoke-Free Ontario Act may affect your event, in particular if it is an outdoor event.

Smoking is banned in outdoor public areas, including bar and restaurant patios, and within 20 meters of children’s playgrounds, municipal sport fields and spectator areas. 

The applicant is encouraged to contact the Huron Perth Public Health in advance of the event to ensure all obligations are met.

This section references the Ontario Building Code which can be found online at www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/120332.  

All tents are required to meet all conditions listed in Division B Section 3.14 of the Ontario Building Code. 

A site plan must accompany the permit application which shows the location of tent(s) and all other structures on the site, as well as portable washrooms if applicable. 

After the tent is erected, the Municipality requires an inspection by the Fire Department and the Building Department prior to occupancy. 

Stages and portable bleachers may also require inspection and if applicable, a Building Permit. 

For more information contact Building Services at 519-235-0310 extension 239.

Organizers shall at no time drill into the Municipality's roadway for any tent supports and an alternate method of supports, such as concrete blocks and/or water barrels, shall be used.

Underground utilities are buried below the surface ground including hydro and irrigation lines.  Utility locates shall be conducted prior to staking into the ground.

Any costs associated with conducting utility locates will be the responsibility of the event organizer.

Waste collection and disposal are the applicant’s responsibility.

More information on waste collection limits, recycling programs and collection schedules may be viewed on our Garbage and Recycling page.