These revenues help the organization obtain required permits from the Bureau of Land Management, rent portable toilets and equipment, secure medical, fire, and law enforcement services, and cover other organizational expenses.

In the first ten years of Burning Man's history, from 1986 to 1996, the annual event was fully anarchical and run largely by the Cacophony Society.

[2][3] For the first time, the event was run by a legitimate business; rules were implemented, and the Department of Public Works was formed to oversee the task of setting up a city of 10,000 people.

[5] On February 4, 1999,[6] Black Rock City LLC was formed as an organization to run Burning Man in the long term, then an event of 23,000 people.

[16] They describe themselves as an organization "whose goal is to unlock the creativity of local communities to solve problems that bring about meaningful change.