Bellingham, WA Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Chapter 13.13 BMC defines a "special event" as any planned occurrence in a "public place" (a city park, street, sidewalk, right-of-way or other city property) that is reasonably expected to have a substantial impact on that place or require substantial city services, and specifically includes parades, athletic events, festivals, concerts, rallies and protests. A "parade" is any march or procession of people, animals, bicycles or vehicles, other than a funeral procession, on a public street, sidewalk, alley or right-of-way that obstructs, delays or interferes with normal traffic flow or does not comply with traffic laws (BMC 13.13.020).

Anyone who wants to conduct or sponsor such an event in Bellingham, Washington must first obtain a special event permit from the city under BMC 13.13.030; if the event would also need a right-of-way use permit under Chapter 13.14 BMC, the special event process controls and no separate 13.14 permit is required. Categorical exemptions cover funeral and wedding processions, school-supervised activities, government agencies acting within their functions, and park events needing no outside department review. First Amendment events get expedited processing with review fees, indemnification and insurance waived, and block parties of 300 people or fewer confined to one residential block (or an abutting sidewalk, alley or unopened right-of-way), held in daylight for eight hours or less with no need for police crowd control, skip the fee, indemnification and insurance requirements too (BMC 13.13.040).

The city reviews applications for safety, resource impact, conflicts with other scheduled activities and traffic disruption, and can condition approval on route changes, traffic control devices, event monitors, noise limits, alcohol restrictions and occupancy caps (BMC 13.13.060). Permittees must carry $1,000,000 per-occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate general liability insurance naming the city as additional insured, submitted 14 working days before the event (BMC 13.13.100), and the parade leader or event sponsor must carry a copy of the permit during the event (BMC 13.13.110).