Larimer County Republican Party Chair Sandra Aste is raising concerns that proposed changes to the county’s regulations for special events could place unnecessary restrictions on political, civic, and other gatherings on private property.
Her objections come as Larimer County has extended the public comment period on proposed revisions to Article 7 of the Larimer County Land Use Code. The new deadline for comments, questions, and suggestions is Sunday, Aug. 23.
The county is undertaking a broad review of its regulations governing special events in unincorporated Larimer County, with the goal of having updated rules in place for the 2027 special event season.
County officials say the revisions are needed because the number, type, and locations of special events have increased in recent years. The review addresses when permits are required, different types of events, permit requirements, limitations on activities, locations, and enforcement of permit conditions.
The proposed changes would establish more detailed rules for temporary gatherings such as festivals, concerts, fundraisers, and other events.
They also specify activities that would be exempt from special event permitting requirements. Those include certain personal events with 100 or fewer attendees, remembrance and memorial gatherings, and gatherings at established places of assembly when they operate within previously approved limits.
Community or membership activities that create significant outdoor gatherings or parking impacts could require a permit.
The county says its objective is to balance the ability to hold events with public safety and impacts on surrounding properties.
“Over the past several years, Larimer County has experienced an increase in the number, variety, and locations of special events,” according to the county. “These proposed updates are intended to ensure that events continue to be conducted in a manner that is safe for applicants, participants, spectators, volunteers, neighboring property owners, and the community as a whole.”
Republican Party questions scope of regulations
Aste said in a statement Thursday that the proposed revisions deserve closer public scrutiny, particularly where they could apply to political or civic gatherings held on private property.
The Larimer County Republican Party contends some provisions could burden the First Amendment right to peaceably assemble and interfere with private property rights.
“The proposed revisions add greater specificity, additional requirements, and stronger enforcement mechanisms — potentially giving County officials considerably more control over how citizens use their private property for gatherings,” Aste said.
The First Amendment protects freedom of speech and “the right of the people peaceably to assemble,” but those protections do not categorically prohibit governments from imposing content-neutral regulations addressing public safety and other impacts.
Aste’s statement questions whether the county’s proposed rules could go too far when applied to gatherings involving political speech or civic activity.
“Political activity does not always happen months in advance,” Aste said. “Candidate appearances, rallies, protests, organizational meetings, and other civic gatherings can arise quickly in response to current events. A lengthy and expensive permitting process could significantly burden citizens attempting to exercise these freedoms.”
Aste argued that while the government has a legitimate role in protecting public safety, regulations should focus on the actual impacts from an event rather than requiring permits for gatherings that do not create significant problems for surrounding properties or the public.
She identified several provisions she believes warrant particular attention.
One is the proposed 100-person threshold for certain personal-event exemptions. The existing Article 7 exempts personal events without specifying that 100-person limit. Under the existing code, special events that are not exempt generally require permits when anticipated attendance exceeds 40 people.
Aste also questioned proposed insurance and financial security requirements for permitted events. Under the proposal, certain events could be subject to liability insurance requirements, and the county could require collateral to ensure compliance with permit conditions and cover certain costs.
She also raised concerns about the breadth of the definition of a special event, arguing that citizens should not have to obtain government permission simply to gather peacefully on private property.
“These provisions raise a basic question: If citizens are peacefully gathering on their own private property without creating a genuine public-safety problem or nuisance, why should they need government permission to assemble?” Aste said.
She said the Larimer County Republican Party is concerned the revisions could create “an unnecessarily expensive, time-consuming, and bureaucratic system” for gatherings that have little or no effect on the surrounding community.
“We recognize the legitimate role of County government in addressing impacts on public roads, emergency access, excessive noise, parking overflow, lighting, fire safety, and other genuine effects on neighboring properties,” she said. “But those concerns can and should be addressed directly.”
“Reform should move toward common sense, respect for private property, protection of First Amendment freedoms, and limited government — not greater bureaucracy and control,” Aste said.
Invoking the Declaration of Independence as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of its adoption, Aste said the principles of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” remain relevant to the debate.
“Those principles were worth defending 250 years ago,” she said. “They remain worth defending in Larimer County today.”
Public hearings scheduled
The proposed revisions will receive two public hearings in September.
The Larimer County Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the changes at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, in the first-floor hearing room of the Larimer County Administrative Services Building, 200 W. Oak St., Fort Collins.
The Board of Larimer County Commissioners is scheduled to hold a land-use hearing at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, at the same location.
The county has posted a redlined version of Article 7 showing the existing language and proposed changes, a clean version containing the proposed language, and a summary of the changes. Aste’s news release directs readers to an analysis of the proposed changes to the county’s special-events regulations by former State Sen. Kevin Lundberg, who served in Senate District 15 from 2009 to 2019.
Click here to submit public comments by Aug. 23.
If a private land owner wants to have a “personal” event, they are allowed up to 100 people. If it is say, a political rally, they can rent a park, a room at an event center. if they want to have a political event with more than 40 people on personal property, it is not a terrible hardship to get a permit and show the fire, safety, and public health concerns have been met. The courts have repeatedly said that free speech (the first amendment) can be limited by time, place and manner.