Ankeny, IA Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Ankeny Code of Ordinances § 60.07 defines a parade as any organized march or procession of persons or vehicles on the streets, or any march or procession advertised to the public as a parade. Anyone who wants to conduct one must first obtain a written permit from the Ankeny City Council rather than from the Police Department or Planning and Building; the Council's permit must state the specific date, time and general street route requested. Once issued, that single permit covers every participant the organizing sponsor has invited to march, so individual marchers do not need separate permits.

Organizers must give the City a liability waiver or damage waiver before the parade goes forward, but § 60.07 sets no permit fee, so the process is administrative rather than revenue-based. A parade held under a valid permit is not treated as an unlawful obstruction of the street even though it blocks normal traffic flow, overriding any other ordinance that would otherwise call it an obstruction. While parading, participants remain subject to the lawful orders of the Ankeny Police Department and the Fire Department, both of which retain authority to direct marchers and traffic on scene.

Because Chapters 60 through 70 make up the Ankeny Traffic Code, a parade permit request functions inside the same code that governs everyday streets, and an unpermitted organized march on a public street can be treated as a Traffic Code violation. The Ankeny Code of Ordinances does not carve out a separate fee structure for parades outside of § 60.07, so the same permit and waiver requirements apply regardless of the parade's size or sponsor, from a school homecoming procession to a downtown Uptown Ankeny community march.