Gulfport, MS Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Old parade permit
- Sec. 6-201, repealed Nov. 16, 2021
- Replacement
- Public event permit, Sec. 8-80
- Fee
- $20.00, non-refundable
- Advance notice
- 90 days before the event
- Decision time
- CAO decides within 30 days
- Appeal window
- 10 days to clerk of council
Summary
Gulfport no longer issues a standalone parade permit: Ord. No. 3093 repealed the old parade or procession permit at former Sec. 6-201 in 2021 and folded parades into the citywide public event permit at Code Sec. 8-80. Anyone holding a public event on a street or right-of-way, including a parade, must apply at least 90 days ahead for $20.00.
Any person, organization or entity (other than the City of Gulfport or Gulfport Main Street) desiring to hold a public event in a municipal park or on a public street or right of way in the City of Gulfport, must submit a "public event permit application", along with the public event permit processing fee of twenty dollars ($20.00) (which fee is non-refundable) to the department of leisure services, no fewer than ninety (90) days prior to the event. ... The denial of a public event permit may be appealed to the city council via written appeal request submitted to the clerk of council no later than ten (10) days after the date of the denial.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 68).
Full Breakdown
The city's dedicated parade and procession permit is gone. An editor's note at Sec. 6-201 records that "Ord. No. 3093, § 2, adopted Nov. " The same ordinance, in the same section 3, created the replacement mechanism now codified at Sec. 8-80, "Public event permit," which covers any public event held on a municipal park or on a public street or right of way, exactly the ground a parade route occupies. Under Sec. 00 processing fee to the department of leisure services no fewer than ninety days before the event.
Sec. 8-80(c) routes the application to every city department for written comment before the chief administrative officer decides within 30 days of receipt, and may attach conditions given the nature of the event; a permit is approved unless it would be contrary to public health, safety or good order. Sec. 8-80(d) gives a denied applicant ten days to file a written appeal with the clerk of council, and the council must hear it within thirty days of receiving the appeal. Because there is no separate procession ordinance left in Chapter 6, a parade organizer today has only this one path to a lawful street closure.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 8-80 does not itself set a fine; holding an unpermitted parade or street event falls back on the Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-9, a fine up to $1,000.00, up to 90 days in jail, or both. A denied application can be appealed in writing to the clerk of council within ten days, heard by the city council within thirty days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Gulfport still have a separate parade permit?
How far ahead must I apply for a Gulfport parade permit?
What can I do if Gulfport denies my parade permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Gulfport
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