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Dane County Parks

Hosting a Recurring Program in a Park

Looking for a space to host a recurring outdoor program with a participant fee? Dane County Parks offers a Recurring Program Permit which allows you to host a program in the natural landscapes of our park system. Groups that may need this permit include homeschool groups, preschool groups, or businesses that provide instructional courses, fitness classes, etc.

When is a Permit Required?

If you operate a program that meets all criteria below, a Recurring Program Permit is required:

  • The program is an educational/instructional course or class or a sporting event/practice
  • Charges a participant fee
  • Meets on a Dane County Park property
  • Meets more than one time per session (described below)

If your program only meets once during a session you need to obtain a Special Event Permit for your event and/or reserve a facility (e.g. a shelter or group camp) depending on your needs.

Application Process

Please submit a Recurring Program Permit request a minimum of two weeks before the start of your program and staff will contact you. In your request, indicate which school-year based session you are applying for. If a program is year-round or spans multiple sessions, please submit a permit request for each session.

The sessions include:

  • Winter/Spring (January – May)
  • Summer (June – August)
  • Fall (September – December)

 

Permit Fees

There is a $25 nonrefundable application fee to submit your permit request. Once your permit is approved, you will be charged a permit fee that is calculated based on the total number of participants expected during a session (see table below).

Cumulative Participant Number Fee (per session)
1-100 $50
101-250 $200
251-500 $400
501-1000 $600
1001+ $800

The Cumulative Participant Number is the total number of program participants that attend your program during the indicated session.

For example, a program that meets one day per week over seven weeks during the Winter/Spring session and expects ten participants each day would have a Cumulative Participant Number of 70 (1 x 7 x 10 = 70). Participants are counted each time the program meets, even if it is the same participants attending each weekly program.