Rental agreements and what to put in writing
What should a party rental agreement cover before the equipment leaves?
The paperwork is part of the safety system
A rental agreement in this trade is a safety document with prices in it, and the federal safety bulletin says so in its own way: it asks rental companies to hand specific things to renters, and a signed statement that they were received and understood.
The list from the CPSC bulletin is five items: a training program for the renter on proper operation, a copy of the operation manual for each rental, a brief training on estimating wind speed, a copy of the safety bulletin itself, and a written statement signed by the renter documenting receipt and understanding of all of it.
Read that as a checklist for what your booking paperwork must contain. An agreement that prices the rental and skips the handover is half a contract in a trade where the injury record runs to roughly 16,900 emergency department visits a year.
The CPSC bulletin recommends rental companies give renters a training program, the operation manual, wind speed training, a copy of the bulletin, and a signed statement of receipt and understanding. — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, retrieved 2026-09-29
16,903 a yearThe CPSC bulletin estimates an annual average of approximately 16,903 emergency department-treated injuries associated with inflatable amusements. — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, retrieved 2026-09-29
Name the operator before the unit leaves
Decide at booking who stands at the unit, because both Mississippi law and the federal bulletin treat the person in attendance as the safety control.
Mississippi's amusement ride act, where it applies, requires a ride operator to be at least sixteen years old, to operate only one ride at a time, to be in attendance whenever the ride is operating, and to run the ride to the manufacturer's specifications. The CPSC bulletin sets the headcount for inflatables: two operators for a slide over fifteen feet tall, one for a bounce house or small slide under fifteen feet, two for units designed for younger children, with a direct line of sight and no blind spots.
If your delivery is the supervised kind, your staff fills that role, and the agreement should say so. If the customer runs the unit, the CPSC's renter-handover list is what the agreement must deliver, and your insurer will read the difference. The insurance page covers how underwriting treats supervised rentals against customer pickup.
16 yearsMississippi's amusement ride act requires a ride operator to be at least sixteen years old, to attend only one ride at a time, and to operate it to the manufacturer's specifications. — Mississippi Department of Archives and History, enrolled House Bill 999 of 2020, retrieved 2026-09-29
2 operatorsThe CPSC bulletin sets two operators minimum for a slide over 15 feet tall, one for a bounce house or small slide under 15 feet, and two for units designed for younger children. — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, retrieved 2026-09-29
Price the whole invoice in the agreement
Put the entire charge in writing, delivery and setup included, and compute the tax on the total. Mississippi taxes the gross proceeds of the rental agreement, and the Department of Revenue states gross proceeds include installation and delivery charges.
A single line covering the unit, delivery, setup and teardown is simpler to quote, simpler to tax and harder to argue with at the curb than an itemized set of fees that invites line-by-line negotiation.
Deposits belong in the same paragraph as the total. State the amount, what it holds, when it applies against the balance, and what happens to it when the customer cancels. A deposit term that is not written down is a deposit dispute scheduled for the busiest Saturday of the year.
7%The Department of Revenue states the total gross proceeds of rental agreements are taxable, and that gross proceeds include installation and delivery charges. — Mississippi Department of Revenue, retrieved 2026-09-29
Damage, weather and the terms that stop arguments
Write the weather rule into the agreement rather than deciding it in a parking lot. The CPSC bulletin's wind rule is the defensible version: do not operate when wind exceeds the manufacturer's recommended maximum, typically 15 to 25 mph depending on the ride, and when wind or gusts exceed 25 mph, unload and deflate the device immediately.
A written clause that repeats that rule, and names who makes the call, is what turns a cancellation into a policy rather than a fight. The event-day checklist covers making that call on the day.
Damage terms work the same way. The manual is the reference: the CPSC bulletin defers to the manufacturer's requirements on anchors, maximum loads and rider sizes, so the agreement should say that damage is measured against the manufacturer's instructions, and that a returned unit is inspected before the deposit question is answered.
25 mphThe CPSC bulletin says manufacturers recommend maximum wind speeds of 15 to 25 mph, and past 25 mph including gusts, unload and deflate the device immediately. — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, retrieved 2026-09-29
The CPSC bulletin instructs operators to follow the manufacturer's requirements for anchoring, tie-downs, maximum loads, maximum weight per passenger, and rider sizes. — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, retrieved 2026-09-29
Records that travel with the unit
Mississippi's ride act, where it applies, says the owner or operator keeps a paper or electronic copy of all required forms and certifications and all safety inspections from the preceding twelve months, either on or near the ride or at the owner's office, and makes them available to the Department of Revenue on request.
An inflatable operator outside the decal program should copy that habit, because the same folder answers an insurer's question and a customer's claim. Booking agreement, signed handover statement, the unit's manual, the inspection sheet from the morning setup, all filed per event.
Keep the files for more than the season. The act's incident log runs three years at minimum, and an insurance claim or a damage dispute can arrive two summers after the booking.
The close of the paperwork loop is the return inspection, noted on the same agreement the customer signed. A unit that comes back wet gets dried before storage, a rule the CPSC bulletin's manual list states in one word, drying, among the daily operations the manufacturer documents. The equipment guide covers what the unit's own records should hold.
3 yearsMississippi's amusement ride act requires keeping a copy of all required forms, certifications and safety inspections from the preceding twelve months on or near the ride or at the office. — Mississippi Department of Archives and History, enrolled House Bill 999 of 2020, retrieved 2026-09-29
The CPSC bulletin's commercial guidance instructs following the owner's manual for daily operation, daily inspection, disinfecting, repair, deflation, drying, storage and transportation. — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, retrieved 2026-09-29
Questions
Does Mississippi require a written rental agreement?
No state statute mandates one for inflatables. The CPSC bulletin recommends a signed statement from renters documenting receipt of training, the manual, wind guidance and the bulletin, which is the practical reason a written agreement with a handover is the defensible form.
Can I charge the sales tax only on the unit price?
No. The Department of Revenue states the total gross proceeds of rental agreements are taxable, and gross proceeds include installation and delivery charges. Charge the 7% on the whole invoice.
Who can operate the unit at the event?
For rides in the state program, an operator at least sixteen years old, attending only that unit. For inflatables the CPSC bulletin sets the headcount at two operators for slides over fifteen feet, one for smaller units, two for units designed for younger children.
What wind speed ends a rental?
The manufacturer's stated maximum governs, typically 15 to 25 mph, and the CPSC bulletin is absolute about the ceiling, unloading and deflating past 25 mph including gusts. Put the number and who calls it in the agreement.