Pinetop Lakeside council bans inflatable play structures in town parks

The Pinetop Lakeside Town Council on April 2025 unanimously adopted Ordinance No. 25-482, adding section 12.12.0.07 to Town Code Title 12 to prohibit inflatable play structures in town parks, recreational facilities and town-owned rights of way.

Council members said the ordinance responds to repeated difficulties securing insurance coverage for events that include inflatables. Matt, a town staff member briefing the council, said negotiations with insurers had repeatedly failed and that some insurers were requiring very high liability limits. "Some of them were Some of them, they're asking every bit of $25,000,000 of liability coverage," he said, adding that the town had not been successful in securing coverage for inflatable structures over the last four or five years.

The ordinance was presented during a public hearing. Matt clarified that the change is intended to reduce staff time spent negotiating with insurers and to define the term used by insurers in policy language. The text presented to council removed inflatable movie screens and clarified that small watercraft or paddle boards would not be covered by the definition. The council approved the ordinance on a motion by the Vice Mayor; the motion carried unanimously.

The council did not adopt implementing rules or enforcement details at the meeting. Council members and staff said the amendment is intended to address insurance and permitting conflicts for special events, and that enforcement would occur through the town's existing permitting process when events require town permits and insurance documentation.

The new section is now part of Title 12, Chapter 12.12 of the town code; the ordinance text and the effective date were not specified during the meeting.