Brookhaven, GA Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Article VII of Chapter 17 regulates parades. Section 17-344 defines a parade as an assemblage of persons, groups of persons, vehicles, bands, floats or devices gathered together in public with some circumstance of show. Funeral processions and assemblages of public officials gathered for any purpose in the public interest are excluded. Section 17-362 makes it unlawful for any person or group to hold or participate in a parade in the city without first securing a parade permit.

The application goes to the police department (17-363). It must list the applicant's name, address and business and residential telephone numbers, the date and hours, the point of assembly and its time, the disbursal location and time, the route, the anticipated number of marching persons, the anticipated number and types of motorized and other vehicles and devices, the number of bands and floats, and a statement that the applicant assumes responsibility for the mechanical condition of each vehicle and all damages caused by mechanical failure.

Timing is fixed by section 17-364: the application must be made at least five days before the scheduled parade, and in that time the police department notifies public utility companies and all affected persons in city government of the time, place, route and other circumstances. If a city department is doing utility improvements along the route that cannot be interrupted, the chief of police denies the application or reroutes the parade. Under section 17-365 the chief can require a bond of up to $250,000.00 from a surety company licensed in the state, payable to the city or to anyone injured or damaged by a vehicle, float, device or participant.

The chief of police decides whether to grant the permit after analyzing the application and the input from consulted departments (17-366). A denied applicant has five days from the date of denial to appeal to the city council, which must hear the appeal at a regular or special meeting held not less than 30 or more than 90 calendar days from the date the city manager receives it (17-367). Section 17-368 bars any permit for a parade held between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.