Public Policies

POLICY

1. No smoking or vaping of Cannabis or THC within Minneapolis parks. No smoking, vaping or use in any form of tobacco products within Minneapolis parks.

Tobacco products of any form, and Cannabis or THC products that produce vapor or smoke in any form on Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board lands and in Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board owned and/or operated facilities are prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, playgrounds, athletic fields, beaches, aquatic areas, lakes and rivers, ice skating rinks, parks, walking/hiking/biking trails, restaurants, maintenance support facilities, the MPRB Headquarters, golf courses, and temporary work zones such as the street right-of-way among others.

2. Enforcement, Penalties and Public Awareness

The community, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board facility users and staff, will be notified about this policy through posted signs and on the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board website. Park staff, including Park Police, will help inform the public of the new policy, and warn those violating this policy that they will be asked to leave the park/facility should they fail to stop using tobacco products in any form, and cannabis and THC products that create smoke or vapor in any form.

Those violating this policy may be asked to leave the park/park facility by the Park staff, including Park Police.

Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board staff, including Park Police, will monitor compliance with this policy for the purposes of determining whether a future ordinance may be needed.

3. Ceremonial Use of Tobacco

It is not a violation of this policy for a person or group to use Traditional Tobacco on Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board owned or operated land as part of a traditional spiritual or cultural ceremony.

Tobacco and Cannabis Policy [PDF]

No tobacco, cannabis smoking or alcohol signage (English) [PDF]

No tobacco, cannabis smoking or alcohol signage (Hmong) [PDF]

No tobacco, cannabis smoking or alcohol signage (Spanish) [PDF]

No tobacco, cannabis smoking or alcohol signage (Somali) [PDF]

No tobacco, cannabis smoking or alcohol signage (Multi-language) [PDF]

POLICY

The purpose of this policy is to regulate the service, dispensing, and consumption of THC products in the Minneapolis park system to preserve the safety and enjoyment of the general public at concessions and events.

Policy Statements

1. Use of Cannabis Products in Minneapolis Parks shall be subject to the provisions outlined in Minnesota State Statute 342.09 – Personal Adult Use of Cannabis.
2. Only beverages or edible products containing no more than 5 mg of THC potency per serving are authorized.
3. THC products may be served to, dispensed to, or consumed by the general public pursuant to a Board approved contract, concession agreement or lease agreement within a designated area, building or temporary structure when they have met requirements for licensure and insurance.
4. THC products may be served, dispensed, or consumed as a Secondary Component to a public event pursuant to a permit issued by the Superintendent, or designee, for permitted events within a pre-approved designated area, building or other temporary structure.
5. The smoking and/or vaping of cannabis, THC, THC derivatives, or synthetically similar products is not authorized.
6. The sale of cannabis flower is not authorized.

DEFINITIONS  

THC Products                   Beverages or consumables containing no more than 5 mg of potency per serving.

Concession Areas                 Defined areas that are operated under an approved concession agreement or lease by the MPRB, for the purpose of selling food and beverage.

Public Events                         Events that are permitted by the MPRB which are open to the public to attend.

Secondary Component      THC product service is an additional feature to an event of which the primary focus is not THC product consumption.

 

PROCEDURES 

1. Concession Areas

1. 1. All concession vendors, contractors, leaseholders, or any other parties with a contract to serve, dispense, and consume THC on MPRB property shall annually produce for the MPRB a copy of their current license if required by the State of Minnesota, issued by a licensing authority, authorizing such. Vendors are required to carry liability insurance as specified in the Policies and Guidelines Governing Use of the Park System.
   2. Cannabis may be served to, dispensed to, or consumed by the general public pursuant to a Board approved contract, concession agreement or lease agreement within a designated area, building or temporary structure. Grab and go is allowed, however consumption of products purchased from concessionaire may only be within the designated area.
   3. Distribution of products and procedural implementation is the responsibility of the vendor and must be in alignment with state regulations.
   4. Beverages must be sold in individual packaging.
   5. THC products allowed in the designated area must only have been purchased from the concessionaire.

2. Public Events

1. The Policies and Guidelines Governing Use of the Park System determines frequency and locations of permitted events in the park system.
2. Events which include THC product sale or use must align with the State of Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management: Cannabis Rules, section 9810.2700 (Events)
3. Permit holder must establish and gain MPRB approval of designated areas for sale and consumption of THC products. Grab and go is allowed, however consumption of products purchased at the event may only be within the designated area.
4. Distribution and procedural implementation is the responsibility of the vendor and must be in alignment with state regulations.
5. THC product allowed in the designated area may only be purchased from a permitted vendor.
6. MPRB may permit THC products to be served as a secondary component a permitted event, meaning THC product service is an additional feature to an event of which the primary focus is not Cannabis consumption.
   1. All permitted activities which include THC product service, will require security by MPRB police officers as determined by the Use of Parks Policy, with the following exception.
      1. For any permitted events with THC product service of less than 4 hours in length, ending before 2 pm and which is a secondary component to the MPRB permitted event (i.e. a race), and with no live music, will not require any security or MPRB police officers.
   2. An evaluation by MPRB staff will ultimately determine if more than the minimum officers are required.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

• Policy will be available on MPRB website
• Policy will be shared via MPRB-All Group email and posted on PBintra in the Policy section
• Policy will be shared with permit applicants, as appropriate
• Policy will be shared with Concession agreement holders

THC Policy [PDF]

This policy applies to all Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) divisions and departments and outlines implementation of Chapter 11 of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Code of Ordinances. The policy outlines requirements for community engagement relative to projects, programs and initiatives for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, including projects approved and budgeted through third-party agreement.

All MPRB divisions and departments shall follow this policy in community engagement for projects, programs and initiatives, including master  plans, design and construction projects, comprehensive or strategic plans, public policies, the removal of city-wide programs, the creation of new programs or new services that require new funding or resources, and other public-facing projects, facilities, programs. Staff shall also follow this policy for new or ongoing initiatives as determined by the MPRB Superintendent, commissioners, Deputy Superintendent, assistant superintendents and/or directors.

View Community Engagement Policy [PDF]

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is a legacy land steward. All real property
stewarded, owned, and/or operated by MPRB should be held in perpetuity. This policy is consistent with the MPRB Mission as it seeks to permanently preserve, protect, maintain, improve, and enhance its natural resources and parkland for current and future generations of our region including people, plants, and wildlife. Additional parkland shall be acquired for present and future generations when in accordance with MPRB’s plans, environmental goals, and efforts to dismantle historic inequities.

On occasion individuals, institutions, and organizations, both public and private, have expressed and will continue to express interest in obtaining or using MPRB Land for other purposes, including but not limited to roadways, driveways, walkways, parking lots, cellular phone towers, power transmission lines, underground infrastructure, signs, billboards, and buildings. Because MPRB is a legacy land steward, MPRB strongly opposes the sale or transfer of MPRB Land, or other activities, including most encroachments, that remove land from public access, stewardship, or ownership.

Despite this opposition, the Board of Commissioners recognizes that MPRB Land exists as part of a dense urban core that is home to more than 400,000 people and countless plants and animals. Parks can and do serve public and private purposes beyond recreation, including providing profound stormwater benefits, allowing critical space for the region’s urban infrastructure, and helping to combat climate change. Under certain circumstances, it will be appropriate and beneficial to parks and the city as a whole to use parkland and other MPRB Lands for purposes other than recreation and environmental protection. Examples of such use should be rare, carefully considered, and the result of collaborative efforts. They should provide layered benefits of multiple types and should help MPRB accomplish its own mission, values, and goals on behalf of the recreating public and natural world. MPRB should be appropriately compensated for such uses.

Land Policy [PDF]

MPRB Staff Guidance on: Allowance of low-growing groundcover plants or vegetative erosion control on MPRB Land adjacent to Parkways [PDF]

Guidelines for Encroachment Timelines [PDF]

Naming Policy:

Naming Policy [PDF]

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (herein after “MPRB”) is entrusted by the public with the responsibility of managing the Minneapolis park properties for the enjoyment of all persons. The Park System offers opportunities for a broad range of public uses including public and private events.

The MPRB is committed to accommodating and balancing the interests of all users with reasonable access and appropriate use of parks, park facilities and amenities, and MPRB controlled waters in order to sustain the quality, accessibility, and vitality of the Park System now and in the future. The MPRB recognizes that inappropriate and overuse of park resources is against the interest of public because it leads to a depletion of those resources. The Minneapolis park system provides many popular Venues that if left open to unrestricted use would jeopardize the sustainability of those public resources and unreasonably impact adjacent neighborhoods and community. The MPRB also recognizes that the public is best served when the Park System is used to its fullest extent. Therefore, park use and the protection of park resources require policy guidelines that balance these interests. The MPRB is committed to accommodating and balancing the interests of users with reasonable access and appropriate use of parks, park facilities and amenities, and MPRB controlled waters.

Policies Guidelines Governing the Use of Park System [PDF]

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board permanently preserves, protects, maintains, improves, and enhances its natural resources, parkland, and recreational opportunities for current and future generations of our region including people, plants, and wildlife. In furtherance of this mission, the MPRB has an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Policy which is described in this document. The MPRB’s staff and contractors use these strategies, practices, and procedures to manage pests. In addition, the MPRB has websites and other agency documents (some of which are referenced herein) which provide more detail and support to the MPRB staff’s pest management activities.

Integrated Pest Management Policy and Operations Manual [PDF]