Public Safety

Last updated or reviewed on March 27, 2026

Public property events must be planned and operated to protect participants, staff, nearby properties, and the public. This page outlines the safety expectations that may affect event design, required submittals, and final approval.

Safety Planning Overview

All events must provide a safe and secure environment for participants. Depending on the type, size, and location of the event, safety planning may include law enforcement coordination, professional security, crowd-control devices, traffic control support, emergency medical planning, fire access protection, and crowd manager staffing.

Emergency Action Plans

All events must submit an Emergency Action Plan for approval no later than 4 weeks prior to the event. The plan is used to identify potential emergency conditions at the event site and outline procedures for notification, warning, evacuation, and coordination with responsible municipal, county, and state officials, including response to severe weather and other major emergencies.

Medical and Emergency Access

The Asheville Fire Department has final authority to determine medical support needs for an event, including the number of licensed providers, support staff, and related fire and emergency access requirements. Personnel and equipment must be located as shown on the site plan and remain in place for the required times. For street closures, a 14-foot-wide fire lane with 13.5 feet of overhead clearance must be maintained for emergency vehicle access.

Law Enforcement and Security

The Asheville Police Department reviews each application for law enforcement requirements, professional security recommendations, crowd control and pedestrian safety devices, and traffic control support. When law enforcement staffing is required, organizers are notified after conditional approval and given instructions on how to request off-duty officers through RollKall. Placing a request does not guarantee staffing, and organizers are responsible for confirming law enforcement and security coverage with the Office of Special Events at least 3 weeks prior to the event.

Overnight Security

Temporary infrastructure, materials, and contracted equipment may not be left unattended on City property. Overnight security is required for multiple-day events, including events with setup or teardown schedules that extend beyond a single day. Depending on conditions, organizers may use off-duty law enforcement, private security services, or assigned staff or volunteers when appropriate.

Crowd Managers

Events with 1,000 or more people in attendance at any given time in North Carolina are required to provide a crowd manager for every 250 persons. Law enforcement and medical personnel hired for the event count toward that total. Crowd Manager certificates must be provided to the Office of Special Events no later than two weeks prior to the event.

Street and Sidewalk Safety

Street and sidewalk closures must be clearly described in the application and shown on the site plan. Signs and barricades may not block sidewalk travel unless the sidewalk closure is specifically approved. If a sidewalk remains open, a minimum 6-foot pedestrian clearance must be maintained at all times. Events are responsible for providing and staffing barricades, traffic control devices, and directional signage for approved closures, and certain closure points near fire or police facilities require staffing by a professionally licensed security company.

Routes, Parades, and Processions

Requests involving races, runs, walks, rides, parades, or processions receive an additional safety review due to their effects on traffic, pedestrian circulation, emergency services, and transit. Intermittent traffic control requests are reviewed based on route, size, date, time of day, emergency service impacts, and public transportation impacts. Parades and processions require the Chief of Police’s special approval.

Site Plans as Safety Documents

Site plans and route maps are part of the safety review and must identify both existing safety features and temporary additions. Important items include fire lanes, hydrants, building fire department connections, driveway access, points of egress, barricades, fencing, tents, stages, generators, light towers, portable restrooms, and areas involving open flame or fire activity. Fenced events must show exits precisely to scale.

Fire and Safety-Sensitive Activities

Some activities require additional fire or safety approvals, including fireworks, pyrotechnics, fire performance, demonstrations, temporary electrical work, and certain temporary structures or assemblies. Related applications and approvals may carry separate lead times, and some are due weeks before the event.

Safety Forms and Resources

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