Agenda Item Wording:
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Entertainment Ordinance discussion - Receive and review draft entertainment ordinance and the draft entertainment permit application and provide staff with direction on changes to these documents, and direction on initiating potential Municipal Code updates to Visalia Municipal Code Chapter 17 Zoning.
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Agenda Date: 8/17/2026
Prepared by:
Colleen A. Moreno, Associate Planner, (559)713-4031, colleen.moreno@visalia.gov
Paul Bernal, Planning and Community Preservation Director, (559)713-4025, paul.bernal@visalia.gov
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that City Council receive the staff report and presentation on the draft Entertainment Ordinance, the draft entertainment permit application, and provide staff with any input or desired changes to these documents and provide direction on whether to proceed with the ordinance and related material for adoption at a future meeting.
Summary:
In December 2025, the Planning Division provided the City Council with an overview of how the City of Visalia processes live entertainment requests for businesses seeking to host live entertainment within their establishments and the standard operating and security conditions applied to these types of requests.
At the work session, staff discussed a possible "hybrid" model, that would allow for an administrative approval process for certain entertainment requests that meet certain criteria, such as operating hours and type of entertainment provided. Staff also discussed redefining the current live entertainment definition to provide a clearer understanding of what live entertainment is and to also provide a pathway for administrative approvals and discretionary approvals.
Live Entertainment Outreach
Similar to other new draft ordinance considerations, staff conducted public outreach to several businesses and others that host and/or inquired about the possibilities of hosting live entertainment within their commercial establishments for their...
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