Streamline Special Event Permitting with Eproval

Planning a special event isn’t just about creativity and logistics—it’s also about navigating a complex permitting landscape that often involves multiple departments, overlapping requirements, and a growing list of supporting permits.

From food and alcohol licenses to tent, pyrotechnic, and building permits, event organizers today must gather an extensive array of documents to gain approval. Many of these supporting permits already have well-established processes, making coordination across departments a significant challenge for both applicants and reviewers.

At Eproval, we understand the intricate and evolving nature of special event permitting. That’s why we’ve designed a solution that strikes the right balance: Eproval streamlines the special event application process without disrupting existing permitting systems already in place.

How Eproval simplifies multi-department special event permitting

By collecting global event information in a centralized system, Eproval ensures every stakeholder—from Parks and Recreation to Fire and Life Safety—has access to the details they need to evaluate an event thoroughly.

Meanwhile, we provide built-in pathways that guide applicants to fulfill supporting permit requirements externally, maintaining continuity and compliance across all relevant departments.

Let’s take the use of tents at events as an example of how this works in action.

Case Study: How supporting permits can integrate with Eproval

Tents are one of the most common components of a special event setup. But evaluating tent use requires input from multiple city departments.

Eproval’s platform collects essential details—such as the number and size of tents, whether cooking will occur nearby, placement locations, and load-in/load-out times—right from the start. This global information benefits various stakeholders:

• Parks and Recreation can assess potential impacts on sensitive land, ensure irrigation systems are shut off, and confirm tents aren’t staked over water lines or utilities.
• The Special Events Office uses this information to understand the overall event layout, design, and how crowd flow may be affected.
• The Fire Marshal relies on these inputs to determine compliance with fire codes, including appropriate access lanes and distance from buildings.

Importantly, if one or more tents exceed a certain size threshold, a Tent Permit is also required. Instead of duplicating the Tent Permit process or embedding it within the special event application, Eproval provides a seamless link to the existing Tent Permit system.

The Applicant can follow the link, complete the necessary Tent Permit application externally, and then return to Eproval to upload the approved document. The Fire Marshal, in turn, is not required to provide sign-off in Eproval until they’ve reviewed the submitted Tent Permit and are fully satisfied that all fire safety requirements are met.

Streamlined permitting for faster approvals, safer events

Eproval bridges the gap between efficiency and established permitting workflows, ensuring that event organizers and agency reviewers can navigate the process with clarity and confidence.

“We’re not here to replace systems that already work—we’re here to connect the dots,” says Jonathan Thompson, Managing Director at Eproval. “Our platform ensures that everyone from applicants to agency reviewers have the right information at the right time, without creating duplication or confusion. That clarity is what drives faster approvals and safer events.”

This thoughtful approach respects the integrity of existing review workflows while significantly improving transparency, accountability, and coordination. Agencies don’t have to reinvent their permitting systems, and Applicants don’t get bogged down by duplicated efforts or inconsistent requirements. Everyone benefits from a platform that simplifies without sacrificing depth or oversight.

“With Eproval, I can see everything I need to make informed decisions,” noted a municipal Fire Marshal for a large California city. “I know where the tents are going, I know when they’re going up, and I can require a Tent Permit only when it’s truly needed. That kind of control is essential for public safety—and Eproval delivers it.”

By capturing the essential information needed across departments and connecting seamlessly with existing permitting processes, Eproval supports agencies in managing special events more efficiently and collaboratively. It’s not just a software solution—it’s a smarter way to permit.