Permits and notifications for events: who approves what? A checklist for organisers in NRW

You are planning a company party in a hall, a summer festival on company premises or a town festival with a stage, and wonder which permits you need? There is no single permit: an event touches building, public order, explosives, road traffic and licensing law for serving drinks (Gaststättenrecht) at once, so responsibility is spread across the municipality, building authority, public order office, fire brigade, trade office, police, road traffic office, utilities and other offices. This article sorts the main points by authority and legal basis. It is practical guidance from an event technology provider, not legal advice; the binding answers come from your municipality and the responsible authority.

Key facts at a glance

• For most events, the event notification to the municipality is the first step; the legal basis is the municipal regulation.
• Use of the premises is decided by the building authority (Bauamt) under the building code. Seating plan and escape route plan go through the Bauamt or the public order office (Ordnungsamt) under the NRW Special Buildings Regulation (Sonderbauverordnung, SBauVO, part 1 on assembly venues, modelled on the MVStättVO), where it applies. The operator draws up the fire safety rules (Brandschutzordnung) and the safety concept: the fire safety rules in agreement with the fire brigade, while Ordnungsamt and police assess the safety concept.
• Outdoors, special use of public roads and squares, green spaces or nature reserves, temporary structures and the power supply notification come on top. Access, road closures, noise protection and an extension of closing time may be needed indoors and outdoors alike.
• Stage pyrotechnics fall under the Explosives Act (Sprengstoffgesetz, SprengG). In assembly venues the fire brigade approves the trial; a performance before an audience also needs the approval of the Ordnungsamt. Flame effects using gas or liquid fuel must be notified as a fire-hazardous activity.
• Most deadlines are set by the respective authority; only a few are laid down by law. Raise every point in good time, ideally once venue, programme and guest number are fixed.

The checklist: what · who is responsible · legal basis · when to raise it

The table summarises the overview from our regulations library and adds to it where other rules are more precise. The overview contains no deadlines; most depend on the municipality and the scale of the event, only a few are fixed by law (see the FAQ). So for the last column: in good time, the authority sets the deadline.

• Event notification: Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): municipality; Legal basis: municipal regulation; When to raise it: with venue and date
• Permit for use of premises (Nutzungsgenehmigung); building permit for a change of use: Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): Bauamt; Legal basis: building code (§ 60 BauO NRW 2018); When to raise it: clarify with the choice of room; in NRW a change of use generally needs a building permit only for regular use (from 25 events a year), outdoor assembly venues for more than 5,000 visitors even for one-off use
• Special use of public roads, squares and pedestrian areas: Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): municipality (ask locally for the responsible office; depending on the road, road construction or road traffic authority); Legal basis: § 18 StrWG NRW; with a permit under the StVO, one joint decision (§ 21 StrWG NRW); When to raise it: with the choice of site
• Fire safety rules (Brandschutzordnung): Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): operator in agreement with the fire brigade (Brandschutzdienststelle); Bauamt / Ordnungsamt involved; Legal basis: building code, § 42 SBauVO; When to raise it: with the choice of room
• Seating plan, escape route plan: Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): Bauamt / Ordnungsamt; Legal basis: SBauVO part 1 (modelled on the MVStättVO); where it does not apply, as required by the municipality; When to raise it: once stage, seating and technology are planned
• Safety concept: Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): operator; assessed by Ordnungsamt / police, above 5,000 visitor places in agreement with police, fire brigade and rescue service; Legal basis: § 43 SBauVO; outside assembly venues if the public order authority requires it; When to raise it: once programme and guest number are fixed
• Pyrotechnics (permit for trial and performance), fire-hazardous activity (notification): Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): fire brigade (trial and performance), also Ordnungsamt (performance before an audience); according to the overview also Gewerbeamt; Legal basis: pyrotechnics: SprengG, § 23 of the 1st SprengV; fire-hazardous activity: § 35 SBauVO, SprengG according to the overview; When to raise it: as soon as a pyro effect is in the programme; on tour, notification two weeks in advance
• Noise protection: Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): Ordnungsamt; Legal basis: LImschG NRW, state leisure noise guidelines (the TA Lärm excludes leisure facilities); When to raise it: with sound system and playing times
• Extension of closing time: Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): Ordnungsamt; Legal basis: municipal regulation; When to raise it: with the schedule
• Access permit, road closures, changes to traffic routing: Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): Ordnungsamt / road traffic office / police; Legal basis: municipal regulation, StVO; When to raise it: with the site plan
• Sunday / public holiday driving permit: Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): road traffic office; Legal basis: StVO; When to raise it: with the transport plan
• Use of green spaces, forest or nature reserve: Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): parks department, forestry office / environmental and nature conservation authority; Legal basis: municipal regulation, state forest act; When to raise it: with the choice of site
• Notification of power supply, water and drainage: Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): power: Ordnungsamt / utilities; water: utilities / water board / civil engineering office; Legal basis: power: –; water: water resources act; When to raise it: once the power demand of the technology is known
• Licence to serve drinks, food hygiene notification: Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): Ordnungsamt / Gewerbeamt, veterinary and consumer protection office; Legal basis: GastG, LMHV; When to raise it: with the catering concept
• Sunday and holiday work, agency work, minors: Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): trade supervisory office / Ordnungsamt, employment agency, Bezirksregierung; Legal basis: FTG (§ 10 ArbZG generally allows employment at events without approval), AÜG, JArbSchG; When to raise it: with staff planning
• Temporary structures (Fliegende Bauten): notification of set-up with inspection book, acceptance test if required; approval of loads (suspended / ground-supported): Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): building authority (Bauamt), in some states TÜV; structural engineer; Legal basis: building code (§ 76 MBO, in NRW the FlBau NRW circular) for temporary structures; When to raise it: notification with the technology plan; acceptance test after set-up, before use
• GEMA (music licensing), lottery (notification): Responsible office (permit, involvement or notification): GEMA, responsible office; Legal basis: UrhG, RennwLottDV; When to raise it: with the programme

Indoors: room, seating, escape routes

Indoors, everything revolves around whether the room is approved for this use. The Bauamt decides under the NRW building code. For assembly venues, NRW applies the Special Buildings Regulation (SBauVO, part 1), which is based on the model assembly venue regulation (MVStättVO); seating plan and escape route plan rest on it. Fire safety rules and safety concept are operating rules: the operator draws them up, the fire safety rules in agreement with the fire brigade. The building authority does not approve events, only the structures. In NRW, since the building ministry's circular of 17 June 2024, a room used once or only occasionally for events with more than 200 visitors does not thereby become an assembly room; from 25 events a year, use is generally no longer occasional. For a one-off company party in a production hall, the rule often saves the change-of-use permit. Exception: outdoor assembly venues for more than 5,000 visitors need a building permit even for one-off use. An event notification under municipal rules may still be needed, and depending on the type and size of the event a safety concept too. Clarify with the Ordnungsamt and Bauamt in advance which further documents the municipality requires, such as a seating plan. When the assembly venue regulation applies and how the number of visitors is calculated is covered in a separate article.

Outdoors: site, road, noise, closing time

Outdoors, the site itself comes into play: using public roads and squares beyond normal public use requires a special use permit under the roads act (in NRW § 18 StrWG NRW). Parks involve the parks department, forests and nature reserves the forestry office or nature authority. Access is regulated by the Ordnungsamt under municipal rules. Road closures and changes to traffic routing go through Ordnungsamt, road traffic office and police under the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO); transport on Sundays and public holidays needs its own driving permit. Amplified sound outdoors touches noise protection. As a rule, the NRW state immission control act with its night-time rest and the state leisure noise guidelines apply; the TA Lärm expressly excludes leisure facilities. The Ordnungsamt is responsible and also decides on extending the closing time. Register the power supply with the Ordnungsamt or utilities, water and drainage with utilities, water board or civil engineering office. Stages, tents and grandstands that need a construction approval (Ausführungsgenehmigung) with inspection book as temporary structures must be notified to the building authority at the site before use. The authority can require an acceptance test; in some states the TÜV carries it out. Suspended and ground-supported loads need a structural engineer's approval. What wind and weather mean for technology outdoors: Open-air events: what matters in wind and weather.

Pyrotechnics: explosives law, not a matter of discretion

Spark fountains and firework-like effects on stage are pyrotechnic articles under the Explosives Act. Flame projectors using gas or liquid fuel are not pyrotechnics but a fire-hazardous activity that must be notified separately. For pyro effects in assembly venues, the fire brigade (Brandschutzdienststelle) approves the trial; a performance before an audience also needs the approval of the Ordnungsamt. Anyone using effects on tour or away from their own business premises must notify the responsible authority two weeks in advance. Use is supervised by a person qualified under explosives law, i.e. the pyrotechnician with a licence or certificate of competence (Befähigungsschein). As the responsible person, the pyrotechnician is obliged by the act to protect employees and third parties from danger to life, health and property, to apply the generally recognised rules of safety engineering, to keep the required protective and safety distances and to instruct employees before work begins. For you as the organiser, this means that pyro effects belong in the programme and in the coordination with the fire brigade from the start. Our pyrotechnics page shows which effects we offer.

What event technology has to do with the permits

Many points in the table hang on the technology: along with the seating and escape route plan, authorities can require set-up plans showing all structures, including those for lighting and sound, so we add stage, truss, control position and cable runs. The approval of suspended loads needs details of truss and hoists; the power notification needs the power demand; noise protection depends on sound system and playing times; temporary structures need inspection books for notification and acceptance test. That is why at photon every plan comes with the documents your authority needs: site plans with technology positions, load details and power demand. Our set-up and dismantling follows the windows set by closures and closing time. Send us venue, date and programme via the event enquiry; we plan event technology in Cologne, Bonn and across NRW to fit the conditions.

In short

Permits are not an obstacle but a roadmap: once you have gone through the table, you know which offices to contact and which documents the technology has to supply. This article is practical guidance, not legal advice; binding are the answers from your municipality and the responsible authorities, and the conditions attached to your permits.

Frequently asked questions