Fairfax County, VA Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Section 82-1-17 sits in Chapter 82, the county's traffic code, and it reaches two kinds of events by name: funeral processions and parades. Its operative phrase is broad. A covered group may not occupy, march, or proceed along any highway, wording that covers marchers on foot as well as vehicle processions, and it applies to any highway in the county rather than a listed set of routes. The one path to a lawful event is a permit issued by the County Executive, and the permit does not stand alone: the section also requires compliance with such other regulations set forth in Chapter 82 as may apply, so the county's other traffic rules continue to bind a permitted parade.

The exemptions are specific. The forces of the United States Army or Navy, the military forces of the state, and the forces of the County's own Police and Fire Departments may proceed without a permit. A private funeral procession is not on that list, so it needs County Executive approval like any other procession before taking to a highway.