Dearborn, MI Special Events & Permits: Block Party Permits (2026)

Division 2A of Chapter 17 defines a block party as an organized group of residents gathered in a specified area on a public street or right of way within a neighborhood, not to exceed two blocks, with a sponsor as the designated resident responsible for activities in that area for the party's duration (Sec. 17-110). Sec. 17-111 makes it unlawful to organize or participate in any block party in Dearborn without a permit first obtained from the city clerk's office. Sec. 17-112 requires the application at least 48 hours before the event and spells out what it must contain: the sponsor's name, address, and phone number; the block party's location, including which streets will be barricaded and the cross streets involved; the date(s) and time(s), plus a rain-date alternative; the date and location of any block party the sponsor has organized or joined before; and a petition signed by at least 50 percent of the residents on the streets to be barricaded, using a form from the clerk's office.

Sec. 17-113 sets the fee at the amount listed in the Sec. 00, due before the permit issues. Sec. 00 per barricade not returned, or returned damaged, within five days; unpaid invoices accrue interest after 30 days and unpaid balances still outstanding by December 31 go to the city council for collection by special assessment. Sec. 17-115 requires streets to stay open for emergency vehicles and for non-participating residents' access, with all barricades cleared and streets reopened to traffic by midnight the day of the party. Sec. 17-116 lets the police chief or a designee revoke a block party permit whenever revocation serves residents' best interest.