Bloomington, IN Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Section 15.60.070 exempts only United States Army or Navy forces, the state's military forces, and city police and fire personnel from the permit requirement; every other parade must have a police-issued permit before occupying a street. The chief of police must grant the permit once satisfied that the parade will not substantially interrupt traffic, will not require diverting so many officers or ambulances that normal police and ambulance service elsewhere in the city suffers, will not interfere with fire apparatus responding to a fire, is not reasonably likely to cause injury or provoke disorderly conduct, and is scheduled to move from start to finish without unreasonable delay. The chief has five days from filing to act on the application.

If the chief denies the permit, the applicant may appeal to the city council within five days of the denial notice, and the Common Council must act on that appeal within five days of receiving it. The ordinance does not set a permit fee or a separate insurance requirement in this section; any such terms are handled administratively by the police department at the time of filing. Because the chief's approval turns on a list of discretionary public-safety findings rather than a fixed numeric standard, an applicant's route, timing and expected crowd size all factor into whether a permit issues, and organizers should file well before the fourteen-day floor to leave room for the five-day review and any appeal.