Permits and Notifications

Applying for permits and notifying required authorities may seem challenging at first, but over time they become routine. Permit and notification policies may change, so please always check with the authority maintaining the permit for the most accurate information related to the permit or notification in question. For large events, it is recommended to submit notifications and permit applications much earlier.
 

Before starting the more detailed planning of the event, you should clarify and agree on the following things:

• Choosing the event venue and making a reservation
• Arranging a safety meeting with the police and fire department (not always necessary)

• Notification of noise to the environmental protection authority (at the latest) 
• Alcohol serving license
• Retail sale of tobacco products

• Permit to use a public area
• Temporary advertising and road signage permit
• Notification of work obstructing traffic on a street or light traffic network

• Notification of a large public event to the health protection authority
• Notification of consumer services to the consumer safety authority
• Waste management regulations
• Delivering a safety and rescue plan to the rescue services

• Notification of organizing a public event to the police (at the latest)

If you wish to organize an event in a public area of the city, such as a park or a street, you will need a permit. The permit must be applied for at least 21 days before the event. Please also ensure that the event location remains undamaged.

For small, free events with fewer than 500 attendees, the public area usage permit is free of charge. Below, you will find instructions on how to apply for the permit, as well as contact details for further information.

If your event takes place partly on a street or affects traffic, you will also need a permit for traffic arrangements. In this case, you must prepare a separate traffic management plan.

Apply for a Public Area Usage Permit

• Check permit fees (PDF, Finnish)
• Public area usage permits (Finnish)

For more information:

📧 Email: lupienhallinta@ouka.fi
📞 Phone: 044 703 2116 / 044 703 2169

If you need more details about the management and booking terms of common event locations (e.g., Kuusisaari, Kauppatori, and Rotuaari), you can find them in the event area cards. [See event locations and contact details.]

You must submit a written notification to the police if your event has more than 200 participants or requires special monitoring of order and safety. The notification must be made at least five days before the event, but for large events, we recommend submitting it well in advance.

How to Proceed:

1. Determine if you need a permit.
2. Find the necessary information and forms on the police website.
3. Submit the notification electronically.
   • To use the police's online service, you will need online banking credentials or another form of electronic identification.

Alternatively, if you cannot submit the notification electronically, send it by mail or email to the local police station:

Oulu City Center Police Station
Kirkkokatu 13
PL 45
90101 Oulu
Email: lupahallinto.oulu@poliisi.fi

Fees

A fee is charged for processing event notifications and permits. You can find the current prices in the police fee schedule.

For more information about event permits, contact the local police station: lupahallinto.oulu@poliisi.fi

If at least 500 visitors are expected at the event at the same time, a notification must be submitted to the environmental health authorities at least 14 days before the event.

The notification must include:

• Restaurants and food vendors participating in the event. (This information can be updated no later than 4 business days before the event.)
• Waste management and sanitation arrangements for the event.

How to Submit the Notification?

1. Fill out the notification form → Available on the Outdoor Sales and Public Events page.
2. Send the form:
   • By email: ymparisto@ouka.fi
   • By mail: Oulun seudun ympäristötoimi, PL 34, 90015 Oulun kaupunki

Notification for Food Business Operators

If food business operators from outside the Oulu Region Environmental Agency’s supervision area participate in the event, they must submit a separate notification to the environmental authorities at least 4 business days before starting sales or food service.

This notification can be informal and should be sent by email to: ymparisto@ouka.fi.

More Information

📌 Read more on the Oulu Region Environmental Agency’s website.
📞 Environmental Health Advisory Phone: 044 703 6700 (Weekdays 9 AM – 3 PM)

Before the event, an Emergency and Safety Plan must be prepared, along with a Traffic Plan if necessary.
The completed plan must be sent via email to pelastuslaitos.palotarkastaja@pohde.fi at least 14 days before the event starts.

An Emergency Plan is required if the event:

• Has 200 or more attendees at the same time. (If there are fewer than 200 participants, a plan is not required.)
• Involves open flames, fireworks, pyrotechnic products, or flammable and explosive chemicals.
• Has exit arrangements that differ from the usual setup.
• Poses specific risks to people due to the nature of the event.

How to Download and Submit the Emergency Plan Template

1. Download the emergency plan template and fill it out.
2. Send the completed plan via email to: pelastuslaitos.palotarkastaja@pohde.fi.

For More Information - Northern Ostrobothnia Rescue Department

• Phone: 08 669 2010
• The on-duty fire inspector is available on weekdays from 9:00–11:00 AM and 12:00–3:00 PM.
•  Email: pelastuslaitos.palotarkastaja@pohde.fi

You must apply for a music usage license if either live or recorded music that is protected by copyright is played at your event. A license is needed for both events with an entrance fee as well as free-of-charge events, and you must apply for it well in advance so that you get the license before your event.

Teosto and Gramex offer a joint license, called Event License, for event organizers. 
 
More information about music licenses on Teosto's website 

If you want to advertise along a road or street or place directional signs for your event by the roadside, you will need a permit. The permit must be applied for at least 21 days before the event.

Apply for a Temporary Advertising and Signage Permit

 Read more on the Community and Environmental Services website.

It is the responsibility of the event organizer to ensure that the event does not cause unreasonable harm or disturbance to nearby residents. If the event generates noise, a Noise Notification may be required in certain cases so that authorities can monitor the situation, inform the public, and impose restrictions if necessary.

Situations Where a Noise Notification Is Required:

• Only public events using amplified sound systems between 10 PM and 7 AM
• Motor sports events

Situations Where a Noise Notification Is Not Required:

• Amplified sound equipment is used temporarily for advertising purposes between 7 AM and 10 PM
• Outdoor concerts or other public events using amplified sound between 7 AM and 10 PM
• Street performances or similar activities
• Fireworks (more information available in the Fireworks section)
• Private events held at an individual’s home
• Defense Forces activities
• Events that have an environmental permit
• Other similar activities as assessed by the environmental authority

Note: The environmental protection authority may still require a noise notification for the above activities if, for example, a significant number of events take place at the same location.

Important Notes Before Submitting the Notification

• Waste management and noise notification are submitted using the same form in the electronic service.
• Before submitting a noise notification, ensure that waste management has been arranged. [See Waste Management section for details.]

Submitting a Noise Notification

• The notification must be submitted at least 30 days before the event.
• For large-scale events, it is advisable to submit it well in advance.
• A fee is charged for processing the notification.

Information Required in a Noise Notification:

• Date and location of the event
• Source of noise
• Closest areas affected by the noise
• Methods for reducing, monitoring, and measuring noise levels
• How the public will be informed about potential noise disturbances

How to Submit a Noise Notification Online

1. Submit the notification via the electronic ePermit online service.
2. Create an account or log in to the service.
3. Navigate to "Environment" → "Create New" → "Environmental Monitoring".
4. Select the correct notification type from the list.

If a Noise Notification Is Not Required, the Event Organizer Must Still:

• Inform affected residents and institutions (e.g., daycare centers, hospitals) at least one week before the event.
• Include the following in the notice: the nature and time of the event, and contact information of the responsible person.

-> Find the Oulu Region Environmental Protection Regulations here (in Finnish).

More Information and Contacts

• More details on noise notifications (Visit the Environmental Protection Permits and Notifications website)
• Fees for environmental services in the Oulu region (in Finnish)
• Guidelines for environmental noise measurement (Download PDF, in Finnish]
• Contact an Environmental Inspector at Oulu Region Environmental Services
  Phone: 044 703 6790

Arrange waste management for your event. Contact a waste company, which will provide waste containers and emptying. If food is served at your event, you also need organic waste containers and toilets and hand-washing stations.

• Waste management regulations in the Oulu area (in Finnish)
• Public event waste management: Hailuoto, Kempele, Lumijoki and Oulu
• National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health's (Valvira) instructions: Hygienic arrangements and waste management of major public events (in Finnish) (pdf)

You can get more information about toilet arrangements from the Environmental Health Care on-call service tel. 044 703 6700 and about waste management regulations from the Environmental Protection help line tel. 044 7036790.

For more information on electricity, heating, district heating, and energy transmission, visit the Oulun Energia's webpage.

• Phone: 08 5584 3300
• Email: info@oulunenergia.fi

If you need information regarding water supply and sewage services for your event, please contact Oulun Vesi:

• Phone: 08 5584 3800
• Email: oulunvesi@ouka.fi

Event Organizer's Responsibilities for Consumer Safety

The event organizer must follow the Consumer Safety Act to make sure the event is safe. The organizer is responsible for all people affected by the event, including participants, spectators, and passersby. The event must not cause danger to anyone.

Main Responsibilities of the Event Organizer:

• Ensuring safety – The organizer must make sure the event is safe.
• Creating a safety document – Needed for events with more than 2,000 people or special risks.
• Recording accidents – All accidents at the event must be written down.
• Reporting serious accidents – Serious accidents and dangerous situations must be reported to Tukes.
• Informing participants – People attending the event must get information about safety.

If there is a safety risk, Tukes can give extra instructions and supervision to protect people.

Safety Document for Extra Services

A safety document must be made for all extra services, even if they are provided by another company. This applies to activities such as:

• Bouncy castles
• Swimming areas
• Horse riding services
• Motorsport activities

Service providers usually have their own safety documents. The event organizer should check these documents to see what special safety rules apply, such as safety distances or barriers.

📌 Important!
The safety document does not need to be sent to authorities unless they ask for it. However, it must be ready before the event starts.

Low-risk (for example, grilling sausages, cooking crepes, selling buns and coffee) and small-scale (turnover less than 15,000€/year) food operations do not require separate information.

For questions related to the sale and serving of foodstuff, please contact the Environmental Office of the Oulu Region on-call service tel. 044 703 6700 on weekdays from 9.00 to 15.00 or by email ymparisto@ouka.fi.

Fees

Alcohol serving licenses are subject to a fee, and the processing costs depend, among other factors, on the number of customer seats in the serving area. These fees may change annually, so for up-to-date information, please visit the Regional State Administrative Agency’s website: AVI – Processing and Supervision Fees.

You can find more information about the serving license and the required forms on the Regional State Administrative Agency website

More information from Regional State Administrative Agency for Northern Finland, tel. 0295 017 500.

If tobacco products are sold at your event, you must apply for a retail sale permit from the local authorities of the area where the event is organized. Send the application with attachments no later than four weeks before the event.

You can find the instructions for the sale of tobacco and nicotine products. You can find the price of the retail sale permit of tobacco products (in Finnish) from the Environment Office's website.

More information from the Environment Office of the Oulu Region help line tel. 044 7036700 on weekdays from 9.00 to 15.00.

Event tents, performance stages and other similar structures to be erected for the organization of events must be notified to Building Control and the rescue service 30 days before the structure is erected (Oulu building ordinance Section 46 Organizing events).

Tents and other similar movable buildings and structures can be erected for organizing an event in the public city space without a permit from the building supervision authority, if they are in place and in use for a maximum of 1 month. Tents must have a sufficient number of guided escape routes and first aid firefighting equipment in relation to the number of people. Tents must be firmly attached to the ground. The event organizer is responsible for the safety of temporary structures, performance stages and tents. The organizer must provide a certificate signed by the person charge that the safety of the above-mentioned structures meets the requirements of the Finnish Building Regulation in terms of the durability and safety in use of the structure. The certificate must be presented to the authority that carries out the inspection of the event area. After the events, all buildings and structures must be removed without delay.

You can get more information about the need for a permit from the Building Control inspection architects and engineers.

Building Control contact information (in Finnish)

You can get more detailed information about the attachments to the permit application attachments from the electronic application service (in Finnish).

If you organize a lottery where the customer gets a prize in exchange for a payment, you need a non-money lottery license.

More information about non-money lottery license on the police's website  

When do you not need a license (police's website)

If your event involves animals (e.g. pony riding), you must ensure that the animals have enough space, food, drink and rest. In case of bad weather, they must also have the option of a shelter. Animals must not be a danger to visitors, and they must not pose a risk to foodstuff.

Production animals such as cows, pigs or camels require registration. No registration is required for an individual bird or horse.

More information about registration on the Finnish Food Authority's website 

Animal Shows

If you organize an animal show, you must notify the Regional State Administrative Agency of the location of the show. Submit a notification by e-mail to the address kirjaamo.pohjois(at)avi.fi with the subject line "Notification of an animal show to the provincial veterinarian". In the notification, state the name of the event, the organizer and the organizer's contact information, as well as the event time and the address of the event location. Also state the event's contact person and their contact information, as well as the species and number of animals coming to the event. After receiving the notification, the provincial veterinarian will contact you and let you know you about the possible requirements.

More information: 
Telephone exchange of the Regional State Administrative Agency provincial veterinarian
tel. 02 950 17500 
Environmental Health Control of the Environment Office of the Oulu region
tel. 044 703 6700 

If your event area includes temporary accommodation in a cabin, tent, camper, or caravan, it is considered a temporary camping area.

A temporary camping area is a site where more than 100 people are accommodated in tents, camper trailers, or vehicles for a maximum of two weeks.

More information about temporary camping areas (in Finnish)

You can organize a motor vehicle race (e.g. rally) only on a closed road. To close off a road, you need a permit from the police.

More about road closure permits

Oulu Police Department telephone exchange
tel. 0295 416 399, Mon–Fri from 9.00 to 11.00 

Safety in motorsport events (Tukes)

Motorsport event (e.g. an individual race in an area intended for public use or a rally on public roads)

You must submit a notification of noise for individual motorsport events. When the event takes place in the area of a single municipality, submit the notification to the Environment Office of the Oulu region. If the event extends to the areas of several municipalities, submit a notification of noise to ELY Centre of North Ostrobothnia.

Read more about the notification of noise

A motorsport event in off-road terrain or in a water area

If you organize competitions and practise sessions with motor vehicles in off-road terrain or in a water area, you always need the permission of the land owner or the owner of the water area.

If you organize a recurring motorsport event in off-road terrain, you must apply for a permit from the Environment Office in accordance with the Off-Road Traffic Act. Similarly, for motorsports events organized recurringly in a water area, you must apply for a permit from the Environment Office in accordance with the Water Traffic Act.

A permit is not required if the area is reserved for this purpose in the local detailed plan or the activity has an environmental permit.

Read more about off-road and waterway transport permits

Notify the police of a fireworks display at least two weeks prior to the event. Private fireworks is not a display, and therefore the police does not need to be notified of it. However, it requires a permission from the rescue authorities.

More information about fireworks displays on the police's website and Oulu Police Department telephone exchange
tel. 0295 416 399, Mon–Fri from 9.00 to 11.00

You need a permit for oversized transport. You can apply for the permit either from the city of Oulu or ELY Centre of Pirkanmaa. The permit is subject to a fee.

If your transport does not exceed the measurement limits of normal traffic, but the weight limit of the bridge is exceeded, apply for a permit from the city of Oulu.

Apply for a permit from the city of Oulu (in Finnish) 

In other cases, the permission is granted by ELY Centre of Pirkanmaa.
tel. 020 690 300 or email: erikoiskuljetukset@ely-keskus.fi.