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003 <br />ATTACHMENT A <br />DRAFT ORANGE COUNTY MASS GATHERING ORDINANCE <br />A. Purpose. This Ordinance is adopted for the intent and purposes to provide <br />minimum standards and regulations for the permitting of Mass Gathering <br />Assemblies and to protect the public health, safety and general welfare of those <br />persons in attendance at mass gatherings held in the County and those persons <br />who reside near or are directly affected by mass gatherings in Orange County. <br />B. Authority. North Carolina General Statutes § 130A -258. <br />C. Definition. <br />Mass Gathering. For purposes of this Ordinance "mass gathering" means a <br />congregation or assembly of more than 500 but less than 5,000 people <br />reasonably expected to attend a gathering in an open space or open air area. <br />2. "Reasonably expected to attend" as determined from promotion, <br />advertisement and preparation for the congregation or assembly and from the <br />attendance at prior congregation or assemblies of the same type. <br />D. In General. No person shall establish, maintain, promote, conduct, advertise, act <br />as entrepreneur, undertake, organize, manage or sell, or sell or give tickets to a <br />mass gathering at any place in Orange County, and no person shall permit to be <br />operated on their property any mass gathering, unless a valid permit authorizing <br />such a mass gathering has been issued by the Emergency Services Director. This <br />permit shall be issued at least sixty (60) days prior to the proposed mass <br />gathering. <br />I. A permit shall be issued to a person or a legally recognized entity licensed <br />to do business in North Carolina. A permit is non - transferable. <br />2. A permit shall allow the congregation or assembly of only the maximum <br />number of people state in the permit. The permittee shall not sell tickets <br />of permit to gather more than the authorized number of person to <br />congregate of assembly. <br />3. A permit may be revoked by the Emergency Services Director if at any <br />time the Emergency Services Director finds that the mass gathering is <br />being or has been maintained or operated in violation of this Ordinance. A <br />permit will otherwise expire upon the satisfactory completion of the post - <br />gathering cleanup following the close of the mass gathering. <br />E. Exemptions. This Ordinance does not apply to congregations or assemblies in a <br />permanent place of worship, stadium, athletic field, arena, auditorium or other <br />similar permanently established place of assembly for congregations and <br />