Tailgating

Issued: 8/15/2017
Last Revised: 9/9/2021
Last Reviewed: 9/9/2021

Tailgating before a football game is part of the rich heritage that makes Trojan Game Day special. This policy provides guidelines to help ensure a safe, family-friendly game day environment, and applies only to USC’s University Park Campus – not the Coliseum or other facilities. However, both tailgating, and open containers, are strictly prohibited at USC Village.

The university reserves the right to determine what behavior is acceptable and unacceptable on its private property. USC’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers and other university officials are authorized to enforce university policies and may, at their discretion, restrict or prohibit access to university property. Individuals or groups who do not comply with this policy or relevant laws may have their campus tailgating privileges revoked by the appropriate university officials and may be removed from university property, among other possible remedies.

A Tailgate Permit is required for ALL groups tailgating on campus.

Fans must register for a tailgate permit at least three weeks prior to Game Day in order to avoid late registration fees. Tailgate permits are available online.

All tailgaters on the University Park Campus – individuals or groups – must comply with the USC Fan Code of Conduct, as well as the following:

General

Tailgating on campus is restricted to Saturday football game days only; tailgating on campus for weekday games is prohibited
Tailgates on campus can begin no earlier than 6 hours prior to kickoff and must end no later than the scheduled kickoff
Only university-affiliated groups may sell admission to their tailgates and products, including but not limited to food, beverages, alcohol, game tickets and merchandise (note that this requires the Tailgate Permit)
Signage or tents with a commercial name or location are prohibited
Areas of campus may be reserved for specific university needs or events and will not be available for all game days
Setting up, marking off, or holding a tailgate space on game day without a tailgate permit is prohibited
Tailgating and open containers are strictly prohibited at USC Village

Public Safety

Climbing on fountains or statues or playing in or on them is prohibited
Bounce houses are prohibited
Personal use of golf carts is prohibited
Drones are prohibited
Cars and catering/delivery trucks may not drive within center campus perimeter for load-in, during the tailgate, or for load-out (see map below for gameday no driving area):

Alcohol

All groups serving alcoholic beverages must comply with all university alcohol guidelines (also see USC Drug Free policy).
Playing of games that involve consumption of alcohol or use of alcohol-related paraphernalia are prohibited, including but not limited to beer pong, flip cup, shot gunning, etc.
Glass containers are prohibited – all beverages must be in aluminum or plastic containers
Any keg or other common source container requires a Tailgate Permit

Barbecue Grills

An ABC fire extinguisher is required when using a BBQ or grill (ABC fire extinguishers are able to extinguish many types of fires)
Grills must be at least 15 feet away from any structure
Grilling under tents is prohibited
Propane containers must be secured to the grill or in a crate
Tabletop portable propane/butane cooking devices, fire pits and smokers are prohibited
Grilling in parking structures is prohibited
Coals must be fully extinguished and cold, then placed into the appropriate aluminum cans or a clean noncombustible container for disposal

Electrical/Generator

Note that use of electrical outlets in or on USC facilities is prohibited unless rights were purchased as part of a Tailgate Permit.

Generators must be at least 15 feet away from any structure
All electrical connections must be U.L. approved (indicating they meet required safety standards)
All electrical cords must be taped down

Tents

Tents may not obstruct sidewalks, walkways, or fire lanes
Tents must be placed at least 10 feet away from buildings
Tents must be secured
No tent poles or stakes may be driven into the ground and tents cannot be anchored to buildings

Waste

Trash, recycling and compost must be disposed of in proper receptacles
Groups are responsible for returning their area back to its original state before departing campus

Sound

Amplified sound that can be heard further than five feet away from the amplifying unit, or registering more than 80 decibels, is prohibited, including but not limited to radio station vans, live bands, DJs, televisions, iPod sound systems, small battery-powered devices, etc.

Parking

Tailgating in parking lots or structures is prohibited
Overnight parking in structures is prohibited
RVs are not permitted to park on campus