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

Sec. 391 governs the temporary closure of residential streets for block parties as a category of special event. A block party is defined as a neighborhood event organized by residents for social or recreational purposes, held on a residential street (one zoned residential and primarily serving local traffic), not a through street classified as an arterial or collector (Sec. 391(b)). To qualify, the street must be a local residential street under the Springfield Area Transportation Study functional classification, must not be a designated bus route, must not serve as a primary emergency response route for police, fire, or EMS, must have no more than two intersections within the closed segment and not connect directly to a state highway, and the party cannot be held within one block of a major arterial roadway; T-intersections qualify as long as through traffic on the crossing street isn't blocked (Sec.

391(c)). At least one traffic lane must stay unobstructed for emergency access unless the police chief and fire chief, or their designees, approve otherwise (Sec. 391(d)), and an approved application itself serves as the license (Sec. 391(e)). The application must include proof of consent from at least 75% of households on the affected block and a signed compliance statement (Sec. 392(a)(9)), and if organizers want the city's third-party block party insurance coverage, the fee is a subsidized $55 (Sec. 392(a)(10)). The projects coordinator for the office of public works issues the license (Sec. m. (Sec. 394).