San Francisco rolls out emergency 'JAM' permit to let venues add outdoor amplified entertainment

Director Maggie Weiland told the San Francisco Entertainment Commission on Sept. 15 that the department would begin issuing a new emergency permit named "JAM" (Just Add Music) to let businesses add outdoor amplified entertainment under current COVID-19 health rules. "So essentially since COVID happened we have not been issuing many permits at all," Weiland said, arguing the permit would be a free, user-friendly path to help venues and musicians resume activity while complying with public-health directives.

Weiland said the JAM permit applies to a range of outdoor locations — shared-spaces permit holders, cafe tables and chairs, parklets, qualifying private outdoor business property, parking lots tied to a permissible activity, farmers markets and outdoor fitness classes — and that businesses that already hold outdoor-entertainment permits do not need a JAM permit. The application is posted at sf.gov/jam and staff are targeting a two-week processing window.

Why it matters: The city’s nightlife and live-entertainment sectors lost events and revenue under COVID-19 restrictions. Weiland cited survey results showing thousands of canceled events and stressed the permit is intended to help small businesses, venues and performers operate safely under the public-health order.

Key rules and limits cited by staff include a ban on higher-risk activities such as singing and wind or brass instruments while transmission risks remain, mask and distancing requirements for performers, fixed placement of amplified equipment, and a conservative ambient-based sound standard: staff will seek to set sound limits at a sound check and otherwise expect activity to be at ambient levels measured 50 feet from the permitted location. Hours were limited to 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., with amplified sound allowed up to six hours per day.

Enforcement, appeals and early rollout: Weiland said the director retains enforcement tools including citations, amending permit conditions and permit revocation, and that only permit holders may appeal director decisions to the Entertainment Commission (there is no direct appeal to the Board of Appeals). She said the first JAM permits were scheduled to be issued the day after the meeting and that staff had denied 10 applications so far for jurisdictional or other reasons.

Commissioners asked whether the policy could be amended to allow singing with additional controls; Weiland said the permit is "very dynamic" and can be updated as health orders or DPH guidance change, and encouraged stakeholders to submit data and proposals for DPH review. Weiland also noted outreach plans: staff said 38 applicants had applied (application count cited by Weiland) and that the department would circulate a social-media toolkit to commissioners to help promote the program.

Votes at a glance: The commission approved the meeting minutes for Sept. 15, 2020 by roll-call vote; the motion carried (ayes recorded in the transcript), and no public comment was recorded on the minutes.

What's next: Staff said a deeper enforcement report tied to JAM would be presented at the commission’s next hearing on Oct. 20.