Eastern Coachella Valley Party Limits Set

Palm Desert CA

05 April, 2022

12:15 PM

Description

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA —The Board of Supervisors Tuesday amended the "temporary events" ordinance regulating gatherings in unincorporated communities, permitting some functions to continue until 4 a.m. -- instead of 2 a.m. -- in the eastern Coachella Valley. In a 5-0 vote, the board approved changing the original "hard-stop" limit for temporary events under Ordinance No. 348 within designated locations. "This (original) stop was an oversight, as it did not take into account some of the county's annual large-scale temporary events that have historically operated past 2 a.m.," according to a Transportation & Land Management Agency statement. Supervisor Chuck Washington asked TLMA whether the revision might impact the state law barring sales of alcoholic beverages after 2 a.m., and an agency spokesman said the prohibition remains the same and will be noted as part of the permitting process going forward so vendors don't forget. The new regulatory framework will permit tier 4, tier 5 and tier 6 temporary events in some unincorporated communities in the eastern Coachella Valley to continue until 4 a.m., and not resume again until at least 7 a.m. The tier structure is as follows: Tier No. 1, 50 attendees or less;Tier No. 2, 51 to 100;Tier No. 3, 101 to 300;Tier No. 4, 301 to 600;Tier No. 5, 601 to 1,000;Tier No. 6, more than 1,000. The regulations under the ordinance remain unchanged otherwise, generally permitting property owners to hold four large-scale events in a 12-month period, and once crowd sizes reach a certain threshold, a permit must be obtained via TLMA. In October, the board authorized multiple revisions to the ordinance following a two-year cycle of public hearings and meetings that attempted to gather a wide cross-section of input from residents countywide. The process was inspired by noise, traffic and other complaints impacting various communities. The substance of the initial amendments focused on limiting the number of times per year that a private property owner can hold events, and when permits are mandatory. Under the ordinance's former provisions, large-scale events were limited to 10 for the entire lifetime of original property ownership. The regulations specify lot sizes to determine when temporary events permits are required, depending on anticipated crowd sizes. A property owner with a parcel that's less than 10,000 square feet, for instance, must receive a permit anytime a gathering might exceed 50 people, and no permits are issued if over 100 people are expected. By contrast, an owner with a parcel that's one to five acres in size does not have to apply for a permit as long as gatherings are less than 100. But any number above that will require a permit. For properties over 20 acres, temporary permits aren't necessary until hitting the 300 level, and there are no exact limits on crowd sizes. Officials said that temporary events on private parcels must not be commercial in nature. Instead, birthday parties, weddings, quinceaneras and related functions fall within the permissible list of activities. Commercial activities, including those occurring on short-term rental properties, fall under a different classification and permitting regimen. Officials said each permit is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and code enforcement officers always have the discretion to revoke a permit in the event circumstances warrant. Penalties may be imposed for violating the conditions of permits.