(1) Public assemblies are permitted in state park areas on grounds which are open to the public generally, provided a permit therefore has been issued as herein provided.

(2) An application for such a permit may be submitted on such forms as may be provided by the commission, or in any written form so long as the permit application sets forth the following:

(a) Name, address and phone number of the applicant;

(b) Date, time, duration, nature and place of the proposed event, including a description or schedule of events and activities;

(c) Estimate of the number of persons expected to attend including the basis for the estimate;

(d) Special equipment, including temporary structures such as speakers' stands, platforms, lecterns, chairs, benches or the like, and any sound amplification equipment to be used in connection with the event;

(e) Special facilities, including emergency first aid, additional sanitation and refuse collection facilities, to be used in connection with the event;

(f) Crowd control to be provided by the event sponsor;

(g) Designation of a responsible contact individual with whom park officials may coordinate event activities, plans and preparations.

(3) The equipment and facilities referenced in subsection (2)(d) and (e), of this section, are to be provided by the event sponsor, unless other mutually satisfactory arrangements are made to use locally available commission owned equipment and facilities.

(4) The applicant must supply satisfactory evidence of arrangements for such equipment, facilities, and crowd control.

(5) If the agency determines it is necessary, the applicant must submit a completed environmental checklist along with the application. Upon request, the agency will assist the applicant in completing the environmental checklist and may request compensation in accordance with agency State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) rules, chapter 352-11 WAC.

(6) Permit applications must be submitted at least sixty days in advance of the proposed event so that the information supplied in the application may be verified and so that the agency can notify and coordinate action with officials of other jurisdictions and agencies responsible for health, safety and welfare. The sixty-day time limit is also necessary in order to comply with SEPA review requirements to identify any potential environmental impacts and mitigation. This requirement for an application to be filed sixty days prior to an event may be waived in rare circumstances where arrangements can be made in a shorter time while still complying with all other requirements of this section.

(7) The permit application must be submitted along with a nonrefundable permit fee as published by state parks to the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, P.O. Box 42650, Olympia, Washington 98504-2650. The director, or designee, may issue a permit consistent with the application, or otherwise modified in a manner which is acceptable to the applicant. The following criteria will be evaluated in considering a permit application:

(a) The ability of the applicant to finance, plan and manage the activity in accordance with sanitation, safety, medical care, fire control, security, crowd, noise, and traffic control requirements, and consistent with the protection of park resources and image;

(b) The extent to which the proposed activity, in both nature and timing, threatens interference with customary usage of the park by members of the public or interferes with the convenience of park neighbors and the general public;

(c) The experience of the applicant in performing similar activities in the past;

(d) Measures undertaken to mitigate any changes in customary park usage or damage to park resources caused by the activity.

(8) Following an evaluation of the above listed criteria, the director or designee will issue a permit unless:

(a) The application does not adequately address the evaluation criteria; or

(b) A prior application for the same time and place has been made which has been or will be granted; or

(c) The event will present a clear and present danger to the public health or safety; or

(d) The event is of such nature or duration that it cannot reasonably be accommodated in the particular park area requested. In considering this, the director or designee shall take into account the potential for significant environmental impact.

(9) The director or designee will acknowledge receipt of the permit application within ten days. The acknowledgement will estimate the timeline for processing the application based on the complexity of the requested use. The director or designee shall make the final ruling on the permit application as soon as possible but no later than ten days prior to the proposed event. The granting of this permit does not exempt the applicant from complying with other state, county or local permit requirements nor does it excuse compliance with the State Environmental Policy Act, where applicable. A threshold determination will be made by the agency to determine potential environmental impact. Applicants should be aware that timelines may exist under the State Environmental Policy Act and implementing regulations which are independent of this permit requirement.

(10) All permit denials will be in writing, will contain a statement of the specific reasons for the denial, and will advise the applicants of the right to request judicial review of the denial as provided in subsection (12) of this section.

(11) A permit issued may contain such conditions as are reasonably consistent with protection and use of the park area for the purposes for which it is maintained. It may also contain reasonable limitations on the time and area within which the event is permitted.

(a) The commission may require applicants to arrange for general liability insurance to cover participants, and the state of Washington will be named as an additional insured.

(b) The commission may require the filing of a bond with satisfactory surety payable to the state, to cover costs such as restoration, rehabilitation and cleanup of the area used, and other costs resulting from the permittee activity. In lieu of a bond, a permittee may elect to deposit cash equal to the amount of the required bond.

(12) Applicants whose permit application is denied may in writing request that the commission seek judicial review of the denial, in which event the commission shall timely seek a declaratory judgment pursuant to the Uniform Declaratory Judgment Act, chapter 7.24 RCW, and Superior Court Rule 57, in the superior court for Thurston County. Such requests shall be mailed, or otherwise delivered to the Director, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, P.O. Box 42650, Olympia, Washington 98504-2650, within ten days from the date the application is denied.