In 1990, Burning Man moved to the Black Rock Desert. It was said then that it was a place where you could gain nothing or lose it all and no one would ever know.

A mysterious figure going by the moniker Danger Ranger drew a line in the dust between those pioneer burners that had followed from San Francisco and what would become Black Rock City.


As our city has grown, so has that line and the Gate, Perimeter and Exodus Department is that line.

We work to facilitate people from that world into this one; safely, quickly and with ticket in hand. We are the dusty denizens who search every car looking for MOOP, stowaways, and other things that can't make the trip across the line.

We are the shadowy force that lurks in the desert, intercepting people who are trying to skip the trip by sneaking in.

We are the last faces you see when you leave as we massage you back into the hard shock of the default world. We are the line between here and there. We are the hard edge. We are the last stop before and after bliss. We are the dust.

We are the GATE.

The Gate works very closely with DPW, Rangers, the Placement teams, as well as nearly every other department on playa.
We are collectively known as "Gate," but we actually have many groups within. Here is your two-cent tour of our dysfunctional family. Leave your seatbelts flyin' in the breeze and enjoy the ride.

1. an opening in a wall or fence as a means of entrance or exit
2. a city or castle entrance often with defensive structures (as towers)
3. to manage traffic in and out of Black Rock City

We control all traffic in and out of Black Rock City and are the guardians of the boundaries of the city. Our number one priority is to ensure that every inhabitant of Black Rock City gets in and out safely. That means moving vehicles through efficiently and making sure that traffic on the highway doesn't back up.
You've probably seen some of us in action:

• We search vehicles: Yup, that’s right...if you want in, you gotta let us look.
• We look for stowaways. It costs a lot to run the infrastructure of a city of 50,000 and it’s unfair to those that support the city through their ticket purchase when free-loaders sneak in.
• We look for items that create "moop" (material-out-of-place), firearms, fireworks, and dogs.
• We make sure all art cars are registered with the Department of Mutant Vehicles.
• We are not concerned with your personal items. WE ARE NOT THE POLICE. We don’t care about your sex toys and your fetish gear (although we may smile pleasantly if we accidentally stumble across them during the search).

Gate also performs a number of other functions such as:

• Unite arriving artists and large scale art deliveries with art placement.
• Close down the gate to BRC if a child is lost or if weather conditions make it too dangerous to drive.

We do what is in our realm to keep the city safe while meeting the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) stipulations.

1. a line or strip bounding or protecting an area known as Black Rock City
2. outer limits – often used in plural. Area which is patrolled by ninjas in supercool vehicles and awesome toys* (*also known as tools).

Put succinctly, Perimeter are the folks patrolling the fence line looking for people trying to sneak in, as well as ensuring the safety of those that have accidentally stumbled out. Perimeter manages an arsenal of specially-equipped trucks and are the ninjas of our org. You don't see them, but they see you... all of you. Scary and cool at the same time, eh?

1. capitalized : the mainly narrative second book of canonical Jewish and Christian Scripture (not what we are)
2. a mass departure from Black Rock City (yeah, that's us)

Exodus exists to help thousands of Burners get out of Black Rock City and on down the highway as safely and as fairly as possible. This team manages traffic flow, troubleshoots issues, and implements the new Pulsing operation (moving vehicles in blocks, rather than the slow steady creep). Flaggers control and maximize the flow of traffic onto the highway and through the towns of Gerlach and Empire and get a free Nevada DOT Flagger Certification training. We are the last contact our citizens have with Black Rock City.

For those of you new to the crew, visit our FAQ to learn what items to bring with you on shift (as well as other frequently asked questions, and probably stuff you didn’t even know you wanted to know).