DeKalb County, GA Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

' A 'parade' is defined in § 17-211 as 'an assemblage of persons, groups of persons, vehicles, bands, floats or devices gathered together in public with some circumstance of show,' excluding funeral processions and official government assemblages. To apply, § 17-222 requires filing with the police department at least five days before the event under § 17-223, listing the date, hours, assembly and disbursal points, route, expected number of marchers and vehicles, and a statement accepting responsibility for mechanical damage and route cleanup. Section 17-224 lets the chief of police require a police bond up to $250,000 and a $5,000 sanitation bond to guarantee the route is cleared of litter; the sanitation bond is released once the sanitation department confirms cleanup within six hours of the event's end.

m. Section 17-228 waives the sanitation bond for school-sponsored parades off arterial streets, neighborhood-association parades confined to residential streets, and county-sponsored events. If the chief of police denies a permit, § 17-226 gives the applicant five days to appeal to the board of commissioners, which must hear the appeal within 30 to 90 days of receipt.