Arlington Heights, IL Special Events & Permits: Block Party Permits (2026)

Arlington Heights does not publish a stand-alone 'block party permit' fee schedule in its Municipal Code; instead, the legal mechanism that makes a temporary street closure lawful is Section 18-314, Traffic During Special Events, within Chapter 18's traffic article. The Section makes it unlawful to operate a vehicle or bicycle within a right-of-way that is closed to vehicles and bicycles during a special event sponsored or approved by the Village. That phrasing means the closure itself has to be one the Village sponsors or approves, which is how neighborhood block parties and other resident-organized street closures get their legal footing: without Village sponsorship or approval, closing a public street to traffic is not authorized under this Section.

The only people exempt from the prohibition are Village personnel and persons operating vehicles or bicycles as directed by authorized officers of the Village Police Department, so officers and Village staff can still move through a closed event area to manage traffic or respond to an incident. Section 18-314 was adopted by Ordinance No. 2023-47 on August 7, 2023, the same 2023 ordinance cycle that added the current EV-charging-space rules in Section 18-216(g) and the mobility-device rules in Section 18-313. The Village's Arlington Heights Special Events Commission, created under Section 6-510, is an appointive advisory body of 13 members that recommends and promotes civic, patriotic, educational, and cultural special events to the Board of Trustees; the Commission's role under Section 6-510(e) is advisory and promotional rather than a permitting authority, so the closure itself is authorized administratively by the Village and enforced through Section 18-314's traffic prohibition once approved.