Hamilton County, IN Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Section 16-20-2-7 defines a 'mass assembly' as 500 or more persons gathering at a place or facility not built or designed for regular assembly, or 2,500 or more persons gathering anywhere, as long as the event is not already regulated under Indiana's mass gatherings statute, IC 16-41-22. Any event that meets that threshold needs a mass assembly license before it can be held.

The operator, defined as the person or organization running the gathering or owning the land where it occurs, must file an application with the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners at least 30 days before the event. The application must include a traffic control plan covering off-site traffic control from 90 minutes before the gathering starts to 90 minutes after it ends, plus proof of the sanitation approvals required under subsection (c): either permanent restroom and sanitation facilities the state or county health department has approved, or sufficient temporary facilities approved by the county board of health. The county sheriff reviews the traffic plan and reports recommendations to the commissioners within ten days, and the commissioners must act on the full application within 30 days of filing. A permanent facility's approval runs for three years unless the commissioners find the traffic plan inadequate and order it amended.

Every traffic sentry the plan requires must be over 18 and either a current or former police officer or a trained private security employee; sentries cannot drink alcohol while on duty, and the operator pays for them directly.