<P> Before the event opened to the public in 1996, a festival worker named Michael Fury was killed in a motorcycle crash while riding from Gerlach, Nevada, to the Burning Man camp in the Black Rock Desert . Harvey insisted that the death had not occurred at Burning Man, since the gates were not yet open . Another couple was run over in their tent by an art car driving to "rave camp," which was at that time distant from the main camp . After the 1996 event, co-founder and partner John Law broke with Burning Man and publicly said the event should not continue . </P> <P> 1997 marked another major pivotal year for the event . By 1996, the event had grown to 8,000 attendees and unrestricted driving on the open playa was becoming a major safety hazard . To implement a ban on driving and re-create the event as a pedestrian / bicycle / art - car - only event, it was decided to move to private gated property . Fly Ranch, with the adjoining Hualapai mini dry lake - bed, just west of the Black Rock desert, was chosen . This moved Burning Man from Pershing county / federal BLM land into the jurisdiction of Washoe County, which brought a protracted list of permit requirements . </P> <P> To comply with the new requirements and to manage the increased liability load, the organizers formed Black Rock City, LLC . Will Roger Peterson and Flynn Mauthe created the Department of Public Works (DPW) to build the "city" grid layout (a requirement so that emergency vehicles could be directed to an "address") designed by Rod Garrett, an architect . Rod continued as the city designer until his death, in 2011, at the age of 76 . He is also credited with the design of all of the man bases from 2001 through 2012, the center camp cafe and first camp . With the success of the driving ban, having no vehicular incidents, 1998 saw a return to the Black Rock desert, along with a temporary perimeter fence . The event has remained there since . </P> <P> As the population of Black Rock City grew, further rules were established in relation to its survival . Some critics of the event cite the addition of these rules as impinging on the original freedoms, altering the experience unacceptably, while others find the increased level of activity more than balances out the changes . </P>

When did burning man move to black rock city