DuPage County, IL Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Special event permit fee
- $50 per event
- Issued by
- County Engineer, Division of Transportation
- Alcohol sales
- Liquor liability insurance required
- Unpermitted event fine
- $750 minimum, per day
- Appeal window
- 14 days to Transportation Committee
- Applies to
- County highways and trail system
Summary
Any parade, run, walk or other event that could disrupt travel on a DuPage County highway or trail needs a special event permit from the County Engineer before it happens. The Division of Transportation charges $50 per event, requires liquor liability insurance if alcohol will be sold, and can revoke the permit for violating its conditions.
Special event: Any temporary activity with the potential to disrupt the public use of the County rights-of-way (i.e., a run/walk fundraiser or school event or project). ... Any person, who desires to obtain access (road or driveway) to/from a County highway or use the County highway rights-of-way for installation of a facility or any other purpose pursuant to this article shall, before commencement of construction, activity, or event, obtain a permit from the County Engineer, or authorized designee. The DuPage County Division of Transportation issues the following permit types: access permits, right-of-way permits, utility permits and special event permits.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 14 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
DuPage County Code § 19-31 defines a 'special event' as any temporary activity with the potential to disrupt the public use of the County rights-of-way, giving a run/walk fundraiser or school event or project as examples; the same category covers a parade using a County highway or the County trail system (the Illinois Prairie Path, DuPage Parkway or Great Western Trail). Under § 19-33, the organizer must obtain a permit from the County Engineer, or an authorized designee, before the event, and the permit is not considered issued until fees, bonding and insurance are on file and the County Engineer signs it.
Section 19-43's Fee Schedule sets the special event permit at $50 per event. F requires the permittee to carry Liquor Liability Insurance meeting the County's current policy limits. A permit organizer must indemnify the County against claims arising from the event and, per § 20-72, an event permit issued by the Division of Transportation can also lift the County's normal ban on open alcohol on the trail system for the time and place named in the permit. The County Engineer can revoke a permit for holding the event at an unauthorized location, misrepresenting facts in the application, or violating any permit condition, after written notice and a chance to respond under § 19-37; revocation decisions may be appealed to the Transportation Committee within 14 calendar days.
Violations & Fines
Holding a parade or special event on County right-of-way without the required permit is punishable under § 19-41 by a fine equal to the greater of $750, twice the calculated permit fee, or the cost of correcting any resulting safety hazard, with each day treated as a separate offense. An organizer who violates permit conditions, such as unauthorized alcohol sales without the required Liquor Liability Insurance, also risks permit revocation under § 19-37.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit to hold a parade on a DuPage County road?
How much is a special event permit in unincorporated DuPage County?
Can alcohol be served at a permitted parade or event on the County trail system?
What if my special event permit gets revoked?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in DuPage County
Compare DuPage County to another location·View the Illinois special events & permits overview
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