city Ordanance

[OgeXam]

Does anybody know if you take up donations at a yard haunt if it is common that there will be some city ordenance I would have to check into?

Has anybody run into anything like that in the past?

[Dr. Giggles]

In my experience i have never run into that, as long as its just like a donations box at the end of the haunt.

[OgeXam]

I just spoke with the city, and they want me to have a business license, but I can get one free since it is for a non-profit...

argh

[shawnc]

What charity are you using? They probably already have a license you could use.

[OgeXam]

I am doing it for Make A Wish

[N2SPOOKINU]

When I did one at my home in St. Louis The city told me i could not charge. I said donations were gravely appreciated and had a donation box setting at the entrance to the haunt. Your homeowners insurance is another area that can be very sticky for you. If you charge and someone gets hurt and they try and sue you your insurance may not cover it because you were running your home as a business. That is what I see may be a problem with getting a business license. It puts you up to the next level and with that you may have to pull permits for electrical and building. I never had a problem with the city I lived in but 1 time. They tried to tell me I needed to pull a permit for electrical or they would shut me down. I switched evertyhing over to 12 volt using rv bulbs and they couldnt say a thing. Just a word of warning, protect yourself from happy sue people because the good you try to do. someone always tries to take advantage of it and you.

[OgeXam]

Thanks for the advice... yeah we are not charging, just accepting donations. So hopefully when I got to the city they will say, "no the person on the phone told you wrong you do nto need a license"

I plan on getting insurance just for that night to cover me, just in case some sue idiot says I scared them too bad. hahahahaha

[mbudenske]

If you are helping a charity they may have insurance for special events that would cover you. We purchase insurance every year. In 1993 it was $550. for $1,000,000 in coverage. Last year we paid $2,050 for $2,000,000 in coverage with a $1,000 deductable. That doesn't cover any injury to our workers or volunteers.

The two or three paid staff that help build and help tear down are full employees and we register them with worker's compensation and pay insurance on them for that time period. No one has been hurt yet bout our worker comp runs us around $150. for Aug, Sept, Oct