Ask Officer Michelle – Question #503

Posted by samdreis

Hello Michelle,

Are street performers allowed to hand out fliers? And if they want to use a small (not loud) amplifier, for vocals and guitar, is this legal? What are the steps to make it legal if it’s not? ie permit requirements. etc.

Thanks,
Sam

Dear Sam,

Street performers and amplification of sound are all defined in the Sacramento City Code Section 12.72.010. This code talks about weighed sound pressure and actual micro pascal noise levels that are acceptable for amplified sound.

There is nothing that states that performers can’t hand out fliers as long as there isn’t a littering issue. The minute an officer finds a trail of fliers leading to a responsible street performer, there could be a problem.

Street performers in the downtown area are required to have a permit if they want to perform. There is a short audition process with representatives of the
Downtown Partnership located at 910 9^th Street. If the act is to their standards, a permit will be granted. As I understand it, they aren’t particularly picky on the acts, they just don’t want anything that would be considered offensive to others.

Street performers must also ensure that they aren’t impeding pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

Officer Michelle

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011 at 3:05 pm and is filed under Answers From Officer Michelle. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.