Don Behm

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The company behind Pokémon Go and other creators of "location-based augmented reality games" will be required to obtain a permit this year before they could incorporate county park locations in the popular smartphone games, under an ordinance approved by the Milwaukee County Board.

The permit requirement is in response to the County Parks Department's inability last summer to hold Niantic Inc. and its Pokémon franchise financially accountable for damage done at Lake Park after daily throngs of players packed the park beginning in July, Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman said.

The county was not notified when Niantic placed game characters at numerous historic landmarks within the park, officials said.

County taxpayers were stuck paying for "thousands of dollars" of damage to the park, according to Wasserman. Lake Park neighbors took photos and recorded videos of empty beer cans, trash piles, trampled turf and overflowing toilets. There were complaints of traffic congestion, late-night activity and unauthorized vendors.

The permit requirement — adopted Thursday by the board — targets creators of the games and does not restrict public access to the parks, Supervisor Marcelia Nicholson said in support of the ordinance.

Don Behm can be contacted at don.behm@jrn.com and twitter.com/conserve.