RENO, Nev. — The City of Reno is considering changing its regulations on live entertainment and is asking for the community’s feedback to help inform those potential changes.
The City of Reno is known and loved by many in part for its numerous live events throughout the year.
“I’ve gone to a lot of the food festivals like the Italian Festival,” Reno resident Simone Carruth said.
“Dancing in the Streets has been one of my favorite events so far,” Sparks resident ‘May’ Al Mehbuba said.
But now, the city is looking to potentially change its live entertainment regulations after the city council voted in June to collect community feedback on what’s working and what isn’t.
Currently, live entertainment regulations vary for businesses depending on when they opened, as the city has to follow the live entertainment rules that were in place when a business opened.
“It would be, I would say, easier for the bar operators from an enforcement perspective as well if we really said, here’s the rules going forward and let’s just make sure everyone has an equal playing field, and the bad operators we want to be able to deal with them, but we don’t want to penalize the good operators,” Assistant Director for Development at the City of Reno Angela Fuss said.
The city is also looking for specific feedback on its rules regarding live entertainment after 11 p.m., for which a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) is currently required, as is a security plan.
It’s also asking for input on its enforcement for violations of its live entertainment rules, which could include the loss of a Cabaret License and the ability to host live entertainment for businesses depending on how strict the community wants the city’s enforcement to be.
“Especially here in Midtown, there are a lot of people who live near here. I have a lot of friends who live here and if you always have an event that’s loud at night, it’s good to have those ordinances and enforce them,” Reno resident Haiden Russell said.
The city is hosting three virtual meetings over the next few weeks for residents to provide input. The dates and times for those are available below:
— Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 12 p.m.
There is also a form where you can submit feedback online available here.