Dallas Convention and Event Services and Code Compliance on April 21 asked the Quality of Life, Arts and Culture Committee for policy direction to amend city codes governing special events, property standards and land use so city staff can more readily address large private gatherings, spectacle light displays and residences used as event venues.

The staff presentation requested changes to Chapter 42A (special events), Chapter 27 (minimum property standards) and Chapter 51A (development code) to create clearer definitions and enforcement guardrails for what the city is calling “extraordinary neighborhood events.” The office said the changes would let staff work with the City Attorney’s Office to draft enforceable language and return to the committee with specific amendments.

"This briefing provides the first step or the groundwork for addressing what we're currently terming extraordinary neighborhood events," said Rosa Fleming, director of Convention and Event Services. "We're hoping that as we walk away today, we've provided recommendations that you'll consider as policy direction that we can move forward with."

Why it matters: staff said some private gatherings and highly attended light displays are creating sustained traffic congestion, blocked emergency access and repeated late‑night disturbances; enforcing existing code is difficult, time consuming and can place staff in unsafe situations. Committee members across districts urged definitions that prevent overreach while giving staff practical enforcement tools.

What staff proposed and the enforcement challenges
- Thresholds and permits: Staff pointed to an existing special‑event trigger in Chapter 42A that treats an expected cumulative attendance of more than 100 people as a threshold for a special‑event permit, plus one or more additional triggers (for example, street closures, tents larger than 400 sq ft, or valet operations). "A temporary outdoor gathering with an expected total of total attendance of greater than 100," Jeremy Reid, assistant director of Code Compliance, said during the briefing. Staff said permits currently can be issued for up to 10 days and no more than 60 days in a calendar year.

- Proving attendance: Reid said the main difficulty for enforcement is proving the "expected or actual total" of 100 or more people without prior notice — enforcement often relies on visual inspection (crowd counts, number of chairs, cars) after staff receive late complaints.

- Noise: City code includes a criminal noise offense in Chapter 30 and decibel limits in Chapter 51A. "We have to identify the person who is responsible at such an event ... and issue a criminal citation," Reid said, noting that decibel enforcement requires an ambient reading plus an averaged measurement (an eight‑minute average) using a meter on a tripod at a property line — a procedure staff said can be unsafe and conspicuous at disorderly gatherings.

- Parking and property surface violations: Staff outlined two enforcement paths when cars park on unapproved surfaces (grass, dirt): cite the registered vehicle owner or issue a civil citation to the property owner after notice. "Short answer is yes" to whether both vehicle and property owner can be cited, Reid said.

- Light glare: Chris Christian, director of Code Compliance Services, recommended strengthening the excessive‑light nuisance standard and explicitly considering lights that create sustained gatherings, traffic congestion or blocked emergency access. "Consider prohibiting lighting that leads to sustained gatherings, traffic congestion, or blocked emergency access," Christian said, and suggested adding minimum‑property‑standards enforcement in Chapter 27 to make the rule easier to administer.

- Land‑use and event‑venue designation: Staff asked the committee to revisit a draft land‑use classification for event venues that the City Attorney’s Office has prepared. The proposed land use would make clear when a residence functions as a commercial event venue (for example, rented short‑term rentals used for ticketed entertainment) and therefore requires different review or permits.

Short‑term rentals and property‑owner responsibility
Staff said the draft language from the City Attorney's Office generally treats events hosted by the property owner differently from events hosted by a renter. "If it's not the person who owns the house ... then that would not be an [allowed private gathering]," Reid said, explaining that rentals used as venues could be disallowed under the new classification. Committee members pressed staff to tighten language so homeowners who rent to outsiders can't effectively operate a commercial venue in a residential neighborhood.

Possible civil path and other tools
Committee members and staff discussed creating a civil citation presumption that would hold the property owner responsible for certain noise or nuisance violations (rather than a criminal citation that requires identifying a particular individual). "It would create a simpler process for you," one committee member suggested; staff said they would consult the City Attorney’s Office on whether Chapter 30 could be amended to add a property‑owner presumption.

Committee reaction and next steps
Councilmember Willis and other members expressed support for pursuing code changes but repeatedly returned to enforcement: who will respond after hours, how to protect staff and officers performing measurements, and whether DPD or a multi‑agency nighttime task force should partner with code compliance. Several members recommended a measured rollout with a public education period (30–60 days) before any new rules take effect.

Staff asked for policy direction to work with the City Attorney’s Office, craft draft language and return to the committee with recommended ordinance text and enforcement options. The committee did not take a formal vote on code changes at this meeting; members asked staff to return with draft language (including possible civil citation options and enforcement partnerships) for a June briefing.

Ending: Staff will collaborate with the City Attorney’s Office and partner departments to draft amendments to Chapters 42A, 27 and 51A, and will return with proposed ordinance language and enforcement models for further committee review in June.