When owners rent their private properties or wineries for events, they are operating event businesses which require permits. Property owners are not "grandfathered in"
--they are required to have a Use Permit for Special Events. We have a Use Permit for Special Events which you can see.
Owners who hold events without Use Permits for Special Events are likely to be closed
for zoning violations and operating illegal businesses. They are offering their properties fraudulently and placing your wedding day at risk. Most of these properties cannot apply for Use Permits for Events due to current Sonoma County zoning laws.
Venues with Use Permits for Special Events operate legally. Neighbors, the city or county zoning boards, Code Enforcement and the Permit Resource Management Department are aware of these legal event businesses.
Owners of venues with Use Permits for Special Events:
• operate openly without fear of being discovered by zoning officials. They are never “secret or private venues” that only caterers and/or wedding planners know about.
• have met public health, environmental impact, fire and highway safety requirements as required by law.
• honestly enter into site rental agreements because they operate legally.
• issue contracts they can uphold and make promises they can fulfill.
Before paying deposits, find out if the site you want to rent is operating legally. You can easily verify the legal status of a property with Sonoma County Code Enforcement. You are not turning anyone in—you are simply asking if the property has a Use Permit for Special Events. You will need to provide the street addresses of the facilities you want to verify. Then, call Sonoma County Code Enforcement at 707 565-3717 and leave a message asking for verification that the venues at the addresses you provide hold Use Permits for Events. They will call back and let you know.
At Healdsburg Country Gardens, we make promises we can keep and you know the venue is not at risk of closure. I hope this information helps you make an informed choice
Barbara Gruber, Owner
Healdsburg Country Gardens www.hcgweddings.com
A venue with a Use Permit for Special Events
