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In this chapter, unless a different meaning plainly is required, the following definitions shall apply:

A. “Applicant” means any person or organization who seeks a special event permit from the city to conduct or sponsor an event governed by this section. An applicant must be 18 years of age or older.

B. “City” means the city of Bellingham.

C. “Event sponsor” means the person responsible for the special event to be held.

D. “Person” means any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation, company, or organization of any kind.

E. “Special event” means an event planned to be held in a “public place,” which is reasonably expected to have a “substantial impact on such public place” and requires the provision of “substantial city services.” “Special event” also means a temporary use of private property that is reasonably expected to have a substantial impact on a public place or be of a temporary use that is different from the occupancy classification assigned to the property or portion thereof under provisions of the building code in effect when the use was established.

The term “special event” includes but is not limited to “parades,” “athletic events,” festivals, concerts, rallies, protests, etc.

The above terms are defined as follows:

“Athletic event” means an occasion in which a group of persons collectively engage in a sport or form of physical exercise on a public street, sidewalk, alley or other public right-of-way, which obstructs, delays, or interferes with the normal flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic, or does not comply with traffic laws and controls, including but not limited to bicycle races, bike-a-thons, foot races, fun runs, and walk-a-thons.

“Parade” means any march or procession consisting of people, animals, bicycles, vehicles or combination thereof, except funeral processions, on any public street, sidewalk, alley or other public right-of-way, which obstructs, delays or interferes with the normal flow of pedestrian or vehicular traffic, or does not comply with traffic laws or controls.

“Public place” means a city park, street, sidewalk, right-of-way, or other city property.

“Substantial city services” means a material increase in the amount, scope or level of necessary fire, police, traffic control, crowd control or other public services above those that would normally be required without the event. With respect to police resources, substantial public services means resources for crowd management or traffic control required for the event over and above the normal deployment of police in that geographic area of the city at the time of day during which the event will occur.

“Substantial impact on a public place” means an event would preclude in whole or in substantial part the public’s normal and customary use of such public place. [Ord. 2017-02-007 § 2].