Orange, CA Special Events & Permits: Block Party Permits (2026)

015 splits street-closure authority by street type. For residential streets, the Director of Public Works, after consulting the Chief of Police, may approve closing a portion of the street for a neighborhood celebration, parade or special event once he or she determines the closure is necessary for public safety and won't negatively impact other residents who use that stretch. Those closures cannot run longer than 15 hours, and the Director can attach conditions, including guaranteeing access for residents and their guests and limiting how much of the street, and for how long, gets closed.

Arterial and collector streets go through the City Council instead: a resolution sets the specific places and times the closure covers, the applicant must meet the City's special event or special pageant ordinance requirements such as liability insurance and security measures (unless the City itself is the applicant), and the Director of Public Works can require a traffic control plan from a registered engineer, billed to the applicant. The Council can waive any of those conditions when it finds doing so serves the public interest, and it can also cap how many residential, arterial or collector closures happen in a given year. 030 has the Police Department cooperate with Public Works on enforcement.