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Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2008 > March > 05 > Entry
Fire marshal to party planners: You need a permit. You have always needed a permit
Assistant Fire Marshal Don Smith, on behalf of the members of the Public Assembly Code Enforcement (PACE) task force, would like to make something as clear as possible:
If you are having a party during SXSW at place that does not feature live music the other 51 weeks a year, you need a permit.
Not sure if you need a permit? Look here for a list of permit-related questions.
“I think that was some of the confusion last year,” Smith said Wednesday. “There has always been a fire code a requirement for a permit for a temporary change of use.”
For example, if you are changing from a store or warehouse to public assembly (i.e., a party/day show/ night show/ etc.), you need a temporary change of use permit.
Smith has said the department has received about 50 requests for permits.
“It’s the process by which the city of Austin can look at your facility and say, for example, ‘You can have a capacity of 200 people if you move this set of display racks’ or ‘We can’t allow people to use a second floor if there’s just one exit.’”
Investigations during SXSW are complaint-driven. Complaints can range from a neighbor calling about noise or car blocking a driveway.
“The main two objectives are to keep the people safe and maintain the quality of life,” Smith said.
A PACE team will be out during the festival as well as a complement of fire inspectors.
Smith said that complaints came from both the neighborhoods and SXSW. “South By Southwest were complying with the requirements and other people were not,” Smith said.
Lists of day parties are easy to find on the Web including at Austin360.
The bottom line is this: If you are holding a day or night party during SXSW, there is no reason to think that you won’t get a visit from PACE or fire marshals. Make sure your permits are in order and that you know what they mean.
If you have any questions, Smith says to email pace@ci.austin.tx.us, where one of 63 city experts on the various codes and laws will give you an answer
In the immortal words of Public Enemy on the opening of “It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back,” “consider yourself….WARNED!”
Permalink | Comments (1) | Post your comment Categories: SXSW
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By John Conquest
March 6, 2008 8:14 PM | Link to this
Investigations are NOT complaint-driven, they’re driven by SXSW ratting out any private parties they find out about. In compiling this year’s 3rd Coast Music NotSXSW Calendar I’ve heard from several people that they don’t want their events listed for this very reason.