The Town of Bloomsburg has proposed an ordinance that would require town residents to obtain permits before hosting large social events on private property. The proposal, while aimed at curtailing wild parties by Bloomsburg University students, would apply to any social event at which alcohol is served and students are present. Residents wishing to apply for such a permit would be required to give town officials 30 days notice, pay an application fee, post a bond of $500 and limit the event to 6 hours. Town authorities must then be permitted to inspect the premises at random during the event. On October 5, 2007, the ACLU of Pennsylvania sent a letter to the Town Council, advising it not to pass the ordinance and citing a number of ways in which the ordinance would violate the right of residents to privacy and free association in their homes.
