Block Party Procedure

With the block party season approaching, the Community Board would like to remind its residents of the procedures to follow when applying for block party permits.

The City requires that applications for Block Parties must be filed online. However, in order to avoid delays in getting your event approved, you are strongly urged to contact Community Board 10 before filing online in order to determine if the date you desire will be available. It will also avoid delays if you get the petition form for your block residents to sign and submit it to Community Board 10 before you file your application online.

Requirements:

All applications must be filed online no less than 90 days prior to the planned event.(Example: apply by April 10th for a July 10th block party date) Applications may no longer be filed at the Community Board 10 office. The online system may be accessed at:
WWW.NYC.GOV/SAPO
The fee required is now $25.75 (Credit cards may be used online.)
You must submit a petition (on the form we will provide) signed by all residents and/or commercial establishments on the block of the event. You must attempt to get signatures from all addresses on the block. If someone is not at home the first time you attempt to obtain a signature, we request that you try a second time, indicating the dates of your 2 visits to that particular address. (Petitions will be reviewed and verified. Petitions will be rejected if not representative of the entire block.) At least 60% of the block must be in favor of the event and at least 80% of the block’s residents must have been successfully contacted. (Example: If there are 30 homes on the block, then at least 18 must indicate support and no more than 6 homes can be left unsuccessfully contacted.)
If you are planning to have amplified music (any type of sound system) you must obtain a sound permit from the 106 Precinct. A money order in the amount of $45.00 is required. Cash or checks will not be accepted by the NYPD. Again this year, all Block party sound permits issued by the precinct this year will only be valid until 7 P.M. (Please be advised that the precinct may place an earlier time restriction on/or deny a sound permit on a case by case basis)The precinct may also require an applicant to provide information identifying the owner of any sound equipment to be used. Loud noise from amplified music continues to be a major Quality of Life complaint in the 106th Precinct area. Therefore there will be strict enforcement of noise regulations. All amplified music must end by 7 PM. Please be advised that the issuance of a sound permit is NOT a license to blast music with no restriction on volume. The 106th Pct. has advised that sound permits will be valid only to a limit of 86 decibels. (As a frame of reference, a sound level of 86 dBA is roughly equivalent to that of a lawn mower.)Also, please note that whoever applies for the sound permit, as well as the sound equipment/owner, will be responsible for the strict adherence to the music time period and decibel level and they are both subject to receiving a criminal court summons for non-compliance. The identity of the DJ/MC/Equipment owner, will also be required.
If you are planning to have rides of any type (even just inflatables) a certificate of liability insurance indicating the “City of New York” as the indemnified must be provided as well as a copy of the DCA (Dept. of Consumer Affairs) certificate. These can be obtained from the ride owner/operator.

Also, please note the following:

Only Block Parties planned to occur between June 15th and September 15, 2013 will be considered for approval.
Only 1 block party per block for the season will be approved.
At the request of the 106 Pct., no Block Parties will be approved for Sundays (other than church-sponsored events on the church block).
The city’s Street Activity Permitting Office (SAPO) does not allow rain dates.
Block party activity may not continue in the roadway after 9 PM. The Street must be fully open to traffic at 9 pm with all tables, chairs, etc. out of the roadway by 9 PM. The applicant is responsible to insure compliance and must make participants on the block aware of this requirement to reopen the street. (Please be advised that the precinct may require an earlier time for streets to be opened on a case by case basis)

No block parties to be held on July 4th or on Labor Day will be approved.
No Block parties to be held on commercial streets will be approved. The 106 Pct. may request non-approval for blocks intersecting or abutting commercial streets.

If you are planning a block party this summer, please start planning early and give yourself enough time to make your arrangements.

Please be aware that in order that on any given date block parties are not all clustered in close proximity to each other, no more than 8 events will be approved by Community Board 10 this year on any given date and no more than 2 in each of the zip codes within the board area will be approved on any given date.
Street regulations are as follows:
There is a nine (9) hour limit for the duration of the block party event. (Example: If you close your block to traffic and start the block party at 9 am, you must open the street to traffic at 6 pm. If you close your block to traffic and start your block party at 11 am, you must open the street to traffic at 8 pm.) However, all streets must be open by 9 pm at the latest. All block parties must end no later than 9 P.M no matter what time they began. The street must be reopened to vehicular traffic at 9 P.M. (Please be advised that the precinct may require an earlier time for the streets to be opened on a case by case basis) Blocks that have not complied in prior years and that have not reopened the street by 9 pm may not be approved this year.

DJ’s must stop playing music and all other amplified sound must end at 7 pm at the latest, no matter what time you start your block party.

At no time is the serving or consumption of alcoholic beverages permissible on either the street or sidewalk at any block party. All applicants for block party permits are responsible to insure that everyone participating in your event is aware of this.

It is illegal to possess or discharge fireworks or to block streets with vehicles.

Events will not be approved for blocks where any police action was required last year during a block party. Events may not be approved for blocks where complaints were received last year of amplified music after 7 PM, illegally parked vehicles blocking intersections or otherwise impeding traffic, or failure to open streets to vehicular traffic by 9 PM.

All street events, including block parties and street fairs, are required to recycle. Non-compliance with recycling regulations is punishable by fines starting at $25 and increasing to $500 for repeat violations. Thank you for your cooperation.

Very truly yours,
Karyn Petersen
District Manager