Akron, OH Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Section 72.44 of the Akron Codified Ordinances, part of Chapter 72's traffic rules, treats any street parade or procession, whether on foot or by vehicle, as regulated use of the public right-of-way. The only carve-out written into the section is for funeral processions, which need no permit and are given the right-of-way in preference to all other traffic while moving through the city. Every other parade, civic, or organized procession must first obtain a written permit from the Director of Public Safety before stepping off. The section does not list a fee schedule or an application deadline in the ordinance text itself; the permit decision rests with the Director of Public Safety's office, which issues the permit under this section.

Once a parade or procession is under way, § 72.44(A) bars any driver from cutting through the line of march except with the permission of a police officer or the person actually in charge of the procession. Section 72.44(B) addresses the reverse problem: if vehicles are already occupying part of a street, highway, or public ground when a civic, military, funeral, or other procession needs to pass through, whoever is in charge of those vehicles must move them the moment a police officer orders it. That gives the Police Division direct, on-the-spot authority to clear a route rather than relying solely on advance permitting.