For the third time since it opened, Ford Amphitheater has received a noise hardship permit from Colorado Springs to cover its concerts.

The city announced Wednesday that it had issued the permit covering the 2026 concert season for Ford Amphitheater, the 8,000-seat open-air music venue in northern Colorado Springs. The noise permit is largely identical to the one issued last year, including the use of a noise monitoring and hardship agreement to monitor noise levels in nearby neighborhoods.

The largest change from last year is that the permit was issued to the nonprofit Venu Arts and Culture Foundation. Last fall, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that for-profit companies were not eligible for exemptions from the state’s noise pollution law.

VENU, the Colorado-Springs based entertainment company that built Ford Amphitheater, had previously said the nonprofit could take over operations of the concert venue in order to receive the noise permit.

“The data consistently shows our compliance with applicable law, and the hardship permit for Polaris Pointe allows us to ensure a consistent fan experience while we conduct ongoing monitoring, including follow up investigations of any reported noise issues,” VENU Arts & Culture Foundation spokesman Bill Jaffee said in a statement Wednesday.

The permit, issued by the Colorado Springs Police Department, covers the Polaris Pointe business area immediately next to the amphitheater. It will allow noise above the maximum volume in city code during concerts until 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday nights and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights.

The agreement last year required VENU to build a sound wall and tunnels at the back of the amphitheater, reconfigure the speakers around the stage and take other mitigation steps. The announcement by the city of Colorado Springs on Wednesday said the venue has no outstanding mitigation work to complete.

“The City’s approach to sound levels at Ford Amphitheater continues to be grounded in measured data, established standards, and ongoing engagement with the community,” read a statement Wednesday from city officials.

Data from the city is available at https://coloradosprings.gov/FordAmphitheaterProject.

“The City is committed to clear communication and transparency with residents as we continue to monitor sound impacts at Ford Amphitheater,” said Mayor Yemi Mobolade. “We will take community concerns seriously, ground our decisions in data, and ensure we strike the right balance between preserving neighborhood quality of life and supporting the economic and cultural benefits this venue brings.”

As part of the monitoring agreement, VENU installed a series of remote noise monitoring stations in nearby residential areas. If two of the remote monitors showed noise levels at least five decibels above the maximum background noise allowed by state and local laws, the city could automatically issue fines.

The noise monitors set up by VENU were managed by LSTN Consultants last year. In an annual report provided to Colorado Springs, LSTN found no correlation between the noise from concerts and excessive sound in neighborhoods.

“The loudest moments during events do not translate into increases at remote stations typically,” the report stated.

The city has received thousands of complaints since the amphitheater opened in August 2024 over the volume of noise that reached homes in Colorado Springs and the nearby portions of northern El Paso County. Seven residents filed a lawsuit against the operating companies for Ford Amphitheater in January for allegedly creating enough noise to become a public nuisance.

Several residents argued that it would be nearly impossible for the remote monitors to trigger a fine, given that they measure five-minute averages for the noise volume. A noise control report commissioned by one group of citizens found it was “inappropriate” to require a noise violation be found at multiple locations.

City Councilmember Dave Donelson said that he had suggested potential changes to the mitigation agreement to the mayor’s office earlier this year, none of which went into effect. Donelson said that residents weren’t looking for expensive upgrades or punishments.

“The baseline is they should be able to have peace and quiet in their homes. That is not happening now, and I don’t believe it will happen this year either if everything stays the same,” Donelson said.

Colorado Springs conducted its own third-party report to monitor the noise levels. The full report has not yet been released, but the city did not find any violations of the monitoring agreement last year or issue any fines.

A survey of Colorado Springs residents commissioned by VENU earlier this year from LSG, a brand public relations agency, found that 78% of respondents thought the local government should be in charge of setting reasonable noise limits. The survey was used to support a proposed bill that would reestablish an exemption for businesses from the state noise abatement law, which was ultimately voted down by a Colorado House committee.

The same survey found that 64% of respondents had a favorable impression of Ford Amphitheater and 63% would be interested in attending a show there.

The hardship permit comes through a week before Ford Amphitheater’s first scheduled show of the year, a stand-up comedy show headlined by John Mulaney on May 14. The first music concert is scheduled for May 23, featuring the Turnpike Troubadours.

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