A commercial fitness activity involves providing personal or group fitness training, regardless of whether the activity is for commercial gain. If you want to provide commercial fitness training in Gold Coast parks or reserves, you need a commercial fitness provider permit.
When do you need a commercial fitness provider permit?
You need a permit to provide fitness training activities that include:
- circuit training
- resistance training
- fitness training involving self-defence or the use of boxing gloves and boxing pads
- organised aerobic activity including group walking or running activities
- yoga, tai chi, Pilates, meditation or similar
- group fitness activities that are strength, resistance or are cardiovascular based, with or without equipment.
You don’t need a commercial fitness provider permit if you are:
- a health and fitness activity provider endorsed by Council (such as our Active & Healthy program)
- an association incorporated under the Associations Incorporation Act 1981
- a life-saving club conducting life-saving training
- a kindergarten, primary school or secondary school providing health and fitness activities to students
- a corporation promoting the health and fitness of their employees
- a government entity promoting community health and fitness
- a parent or carer promoting health and fitness to their family
- a registered charity or not-for-profit organisation promoting health and fitness.
Commercial fitness providers are not permitted to operate in bathing reserves, beaches, sports playing fields or facilities associated with a sports playing field.
General conditions
- A suitable first aid kit must always be available during a fitness session.
- You must comply with all reasonable directions from authorised City officers.
- Do not drive vehicles into parks or reserves (except for designated car parking areas).
- Keep the area used for the fitness session clean, tidy and litter-free at all times.
Display of signs
- Permit holders must display a sign during fitness sessions, clearly displaying their permit number.
- It must be a freestanding 'A' frame sign with a maximum single face area of 0.60 square metres.
- Distribution of advertising material and touting is not permitted.
Class restrictions
Classes of three or more clients:
- No more than three fitness sessions can be held in the same park in one day, regardless of each session length.
- Maximum continuous session time is 90 minutes including the time it takes to set up and remove any equipment.
- For activities such as yoga or Pilates, a maximum class size of 30 people including fitness trainer and support staff.
Classes of two or less clients:
- No more than six fitness sessions can be held in the same park in one day, regardless of each session length.
- Maximum continuous session time is 90 minutes including the time it takes to set up and remove any equipment.
Boot camp style training:
- Maximum class size of 18 people for boot camp, circuit, resistance or boxing style training including the trainer and support staff.
Conduct not permitted
- Use of a megaphone, sound amplifier, radio loudspeaker, whistle or any other means of amplifying sound.
- Use of one or more tyres, logs, sledgehammers, heavy barbells or dumbbells (20 kilograms plus), weight training benches, weight training machines, rowing machines or any other large load bearing or large resistance training equipment.
- Suspending or attaching any equipment, including for example punching bags, kickboxing bags, ropes or resistance training equipment to a tree, shrub or facility within a park or reserve, excluding a facility designed and intended to be used solely for fitness training purposes.
- Marking out an area which implies, or is intended to imply, in an authorised person's opinion, a right to exclusive use of an area in the park or reserve.
- Erecting or installing a facility in, on, across or over a park without the prior written consent of the City of Gold Coast.
- Pull, drag, drop or otherwise cause impact to the ground or a facility through the use of one or more barbells, dumbbells, metal bars, heavy ropes (15 kilograms plus) or similar load bearing equipment.
- The use of power sources for electricity.
- Behaving in a riotous, disorderly, indecent, offensive, threatening, intimidating, aggressive or insulting manner.
- Engaging in conduct which in an authorised person's opinion interferes or is likely to interfere with the ordinary and reasonable use and enjoyment by another person of the park or reserve.
- Operating a business that is not a commercial fitness activity.
Restricted areas of operation (out of bounds)
Commercial fitness activities must not be conducted in:
- off-leash dog exercise areas
- car parks
- beaches and bathing reserves
- sports playing fields or facilities associated with a sports playing field without the prior approval from the City
- environmentally sensitive areas including bush land, sand dunes, creeks, riverbanks or an area which is undergoing rehabilitation or revegetation
- protected areas such as wetlands
- areas closed for works, maintenance or any other purpose
- areas in which the carrying out of the fitness activity is likely to injure, endanger, obstruct, inconvenience or annoy other users of the park or reserve
- areas predominantly used for pedestrian or vehicle movement including stairways, footpaths, bicycle paths and roads
- excluded parks or excluded areas of parks, as identified in Schedule 1A of Subordinate Local Law No. 9.1 (Parks and Reserves) 2008
- within 100 metres of a noise sensitive place (for example, residential dwellings) between 7pm and 5:30am on any day
- within 5 metres of:
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- a playground
- an amenity building such as a toilet block, shower block or change room
- a memorial, picnic shelter, park bench or other park furniture, excluding equipment designed and intended to be used solely for fitness training purposes.
- within 15 metres of:
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- another commercial fitness activity already in progress when the activity commences
- other users of the park or reserve who are stationary or settled in the area before the activity commences
- areas set aside for a birthday party, wedding, corporate event, youth program or similar event
- any permit holder with exclusive use rights to conduct a recreational activity under Local Law No 9 (Parks and Reserves) 2008.
Before you apply
Refer to the following documents before applying for a permit:
Permits are issued to individuals, not businesses.
Submit your application and all supporting documentation at least 20 business days before you intend to conduct fitness training.
Permits are granted following an assessment process. We cannot guarantee your application will be approved.
Required documents
Provide the following documents with your application to avoid processing delays.
- Public liability insurance certificate of currency for a minimum $20 million
- First aid certificate issued by a registered training organisation
- Queensland Blue Card (working with children) if participants are under 18 years of age
- A suitability statement (if you have had a commercial fitness provider permit refused, suspended or cancelled)
We may contact you for additional information during the assessment process.
Fees and permit period
Permit fees are outlined in our current Register of Fees and Charges.
Commercial fitness provider permits are renewable annually and are valid until 31 August each year. For more information visit Permits & licensing renewals.
How to apply
Need help?
Call us on 07 5667 5987.
Manage an existing licence or permit
To change your contact information or request a change to your approval, use the Amend a licence/permit form.
To cancel an existing licence/permit, use the Cancel a licence/permit form.
To apply for replacement approval documentation for your permit or licence, use the Replace approval documentation form.