Bernalillo County, NM Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Approval required
- County manager + sheriff sign off
- What's approved
- Route, timing, safety factors
- Escort operator bond
- $500K/$1M liability insurance
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county roads only
- Albuquerque parades
- Governed by city IDO, not this code
Summary
Parades on unincorporated county roads need a licensed traffic escort whose route, timing and safety plan is approved by the county manager and sheriff first.
No operator shall provide escort service for any person, nor for any procession, parade, moving of buildings, structures or equipment, or other similar activity without first obtaining the approval of the county manager and county sheriff regarding routes, time limitations and safety factors.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 92).
Full Breakdown
Bernalillo County doesn't issue a standalone "parade permit," but it controls parades through its traffic escort ordinance. No escort operator may provide escort service for a procession, parade, or building move without first getting the county manager and sheriff to sign off on routes, time limitations and safety factors. Escort operators themselves must hold a county license, carry $500,000/$1,000,000 liability coverage, and have at least a year of police-type traffic-direction experience. Practically, an organizer planning a parade on county roads needs to line up a licensed escort service and route their route/schedule through that same manager-and-sheriff approval before the event. This governs unincorporated county roads only. Albuquerque parades go through the city's own permitting under its Integrated Development Ordinance, and Los Ranchos de Albuquerque and Tijeras run their own village processes.
Violations & Fines
Providing escort service, or holding a parade/procession relying on one, without the required county manager/sheriff route approval is a misdemeanor punishable under the Code's general penalty section, § 1-6; the county can also suspend or revoke the escort operator's license.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bernalillo County issue parade permits?
Do I need this for an Albuquerque parade?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bernalillo County
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