Dothan, AL Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

An applicant must file with the chief of police not less than ten days nor more than 20 days before the event, though the chief may accept a late filing under one day out for good cause (§ 98-267(1)). The application must list the organizer and, if applicable, sponsoring organization, the chairman responsible for conduct, the date, start and end times, whether the full or partial street width will be used, assembly locations and times, spacing between units, and the approximate number of participants. The chief must issue a permit unless the parade would substantially interrupt traffic, divert too many police officers or ambulances from normal city coverage, interfere with firefighting equipment, or is reasonably likely to cause injury, provoke disorderly conduct, or is held purely for private profit or advertising (§ 98-268(a)).

Only four annual events, the National Peanut Festival Parade, the Azalea-Dogwood Parade, the Christmas Parade and the Veterans Day Parade, may use Main Street automatically; any other applicant needs prior Board of Commissioners approval plus a chief-of-police permit, and neighborhood assembly permits must first clear the police and fire departments (§ 98-268(b)). The chief must act within five working days and mail a written denial explaining the reasons if refused (§ 98-270). A denied applicant has five working days to appeal to the Board of Commissioners, which rules at its next regular meeting (§ 98-271), or may accept an alternate date, time or route the chief offers instead (§ 98-272).

The chief notifies the mayor, city attorney, fire chief, city engineer, Board of Commissioners and city manager once a permit issues (§ 98-273), and can revoke a permit for failing to meet the issuance standards (§ 98-275). Separately, obstructing a street by assembling a crowd or holding a public meeting without this permit is its own offense (§ 98-239), and interfering with or driving through an active parade is unlawful under § 98-237.