Durham, NC Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

S. Constitution through the application of the 14th Amendment. Because a parade falls in that category, § 66-431(b)(1) requires the city manager's permit rules to include a provision requiring an expedited review and decision when the proposed street or sidewalk use is solely for a First Amendment protected activity. Under the interim rules in § 66-431(b)(2), that means submitting the application at least 48 hours before the event, excluding weekends and holidays, and the city manager must shorten that window further if adequate preparations can reasonably be made in less time.

If the city manager neither grants nor denies the application within that shortened period, it is deemed denied at the end of the period. Once a parade or public assembly has a permit and the street is closed, § 66-433 protects it from interference: it is unlawful to unreasonably hamper, obstruct, impede, or interfere with the public assembly or parade, or with any person, vehicle, or animal participating in it. 00 civil penalty that applies to ordinary street-closing permit violations under § 66-436(a). A denial of a parade permit can be appealed to a hearing officer within ten days under § 66-435(d), with further review by the Durham County Superior Court on certiorari.