Special Event Permitting Manual  

The Town of Queen Creek values community gatherings that enhance and promote the
Town’s values and maintain the small town-feel we all enjoy. Special events play a vital
role in strengthening community connections by bringing residents, businesses and
visitors together in shared experiences. Festivals, parades, races, concerts, markets
and similar activities help create a vibrant and welcoming community.

To ensure these events are safe, successful, and respectful of public resources, the
Town has established a Special Event Application and permitting process. This process
provides a standardized framework for planning, review, and approval, ensuring that all
stakeholders—including residents, businesses, public safety agencies and event
organizers—are considered. 

The goals of this manual are to:

• Promote public safety: Protecting the health, safety, and welfare of attendees, staff and the community.
• Ensure fairness: Providing a consistent, transparent process for all applicants.
• Protect public property and resources: Minimizing damage and ensuring
  appropriate use of town facilities, streets, and parks.
• Balance community impacts: Coordinating traffic, noise, parking, and sanitation
  so that events enhance the quality of life without creating undue burden.
• Support successful events: Helping organizers navigate requirements and
  connect with resources for planning and execution.

The Town recognizes that not everyone is knowledgeable about creating and
implementing a special event. To educate Town residents, this manual was created to
guide residents and event organizers through the application and permitting process,
from initial planning through event completion. It outlines requirements, expectations,
timelines, and responsibilities to ensure that every event in the Town of Queen Creek is
safe, enjoyable and beneficial to the entire community.

The Town has developed a Special Event Team, which is inclusive of representatives
from all Town departments. The team will evaluate and approve/ disapprove the event
or provide input on adjustments that need to be made by the applicant for the approval
of a special event. To streamline and provide an efficient approval process for the
applicant and the Special Event Team, the Town utilizes an online application process
through the Eproval software system. Eproval is an all-encompassing special event
program that can be tailored from small, lightly attended events to large-scale and complex events that will have thousands of attendees.

Full Special Events Manual

Online Portal Application

Special Event Application (Eproval) User Guide

To help you navigate the Eproval software please use the user guides below. 

Special Event User Guide

Block Party User Guide

Tournament User Guide

Should you have any questions, please contact us. We are more than happy to assist you! 

Special Events
McKinna Evans
Mckinna.Evans@QueenCreekAZ.gov
(480) 358-3723

Block Party/ Neighborhood Events
Marianne Fulton 
Marianne.Fulton@QueenCreekAZ.gov
(480) 358-3702

Tournaments
Jeff Molner
Jeff.Molner@qQueenCreekAZ.gov
(480) 358-3703

The Town of Queen Creek “Special Event” as defined in Town Code is an intermittent event, no more than four (4) consecutive days, held on public or private property (indoors, outdoors, or a combination thereof), that is inconsistent with the zoning, authorized or approved use of a particular property.

The ability to legally sell alcohol is regulated by the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control (DLLC). The commonly used license for a special event is a Special Event Liquor License. A Special Event Liquor License (Series 15) is a non-transferable liquor license with retail privileges that allows a political, government entity, or non-profit entity to sell and serve spirituous liquor for consumption on the premises where the spirituous liquor is sold, and only for the period authorized on the license. Off-sale privileges apply only to special events holding auctions/wine or distilled spirit pulls.

A completed Special Event Application (Series 15) must be filed in-person, by mail or by e-mail to the Town Clerk's Office for approval or disapproval. The application must be completed along with the application for the Special Event Permit through the Eproval system.

Various Town departments will review the application through the Eproval system. Upon review and approval from the Special Event Team, the Town Clerk will provide a recommendation of approval or disapproval back to the applicant. If approved, the applicant will then file the complete application and payment ($25 per day of event) with the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control for their approval.

Qualifying organizations will be granted a special event license for no more than 10 days in a calendar year. Events must be held on consecutive days and at the same location, or additional licenses will be required.

If the location currently has a liquor license, a Temporary Extension of Premise may be applicable. The permit can be obtained through AZDLLC as well and the application process can be found here.

If you have questions reference the selling of liquor at your event, please contact the Queen Creek Police Department at QCPDconnect@queencreekaz.gov.

To ensure your event runs smoothly and meets community standards, all special events must comply with The Town of Queen Creek municipal code, which outlines the Town’s licensing requirements. Events that do not follow these rules may be subject to enforcement actions, including the termination of a special event permit, penalties or restrictions on future events.

The following outlines the circumstances that enforcement action may be taken and or a permit may be revoked.

It is unlawful for a person, applicant or permittee to:

• Conduct or stage a special event within the Town without a valid permit.
• Violate or fail to comply with any of the conditions or prohibitions of this Article or the issued permit.
• Knowingly make a false or misleading statement to Town staff or officials during the application process or on an application form.
• Knowingly make a false or misleading statement to Town staff or officials while a special event is ongoing.
• Violation of this subsection is a civil offense.

No person, applicant, or permittee shall continue to conduct or stage a special event without the required permit after being issued a verbal warning, written notice or civil citation for a violation of subsection E.1 within the preceding 24 hours.

• Violation of this subsection is a class 1 misdemeanor.

The Town may revoke a special event permit if the permittee:

• Fails to abide by any of the conditions of the permit or any of the provisions of this Article.
• Fails to conduct the Special Event as presented on the application;
• Fails to comply with the terms and conditions of the permit;
• Poses a threat to public health or safety; or
• A state of emergency is declared.

Upon revocation of a permit, the special event must immediately cease, the permittee and vendors must immediately remove or properly dispose of all property and trash of the special event, and the permittee, vendors and attendees must immediately disperse.

The Town of Queen Creek’s Special Event Team is committed to working with every applicant to help ensure their event is safe and successful. Our goal is to find a way to say 'yes' to all events. Applicants who actively engage with the team and follow the team’s recommendations will have the best opportunity for a positive outcome and event approval.

However, if your event is denied, there is an appeal process as outlined below:

• An applicant or permittee aggrieved by a decision of the Permit Administrator may appeal the decision by requesting a hearing within seven (7) calendar days of issuance of the decision. The appeal must be in writing, state the grounds and specific reasons for the appeal, include any supporting documents, and be sent to the Town Manager or their designee. The Town Manager or designee may deny an appeal without further review if the requirements of this Subsection are not met.

• If an appeal meets the requirements of paragraph (1), the Town Manager or designee will issue a decision to sustain, modify or overrule the Permit Administrator's decision.

• A decision of the Permit Administrator, if not appealed, will be the Town's final decision on a matter pursuant to this Article. If the decision of the Permit Administrator is appealed, the decision of the Town Manager or designee will be the Town's final decision on the matter.