Kingsport, TN Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Article VIII of Chapter 90 governs parades in the City of Kingsport. Section 90-400 defines a parade as any march or procession in ordered and close file in which a collective body of persons proceeds on foot or by conveyance of any form along any street or thoroughfare in the city. Section 90-402 exempts funeral processions and actions of a governmental agency acting within the scope of its functions.

The permit comes from the city manager, not from the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. Under § 90-423 the application goes on forms the city manager provides and lists the applicant's name, address and telephone number, the parade chairperson, the date, the route with its starting and termination points, the approximate number of persons, animals and vehicles, the start and end hours, whether the parade occupies all or only a portion of the street width, any assembly areas and the time units begin to assemble, and the interval of space between units. If someone other than the applicant holds the parade, the applicant files that person's written authorization. The city manager can consider a late application where good cause is shown, and the 14-day period is waived when time is of the essence.

Section 90-424 requires six findings before issuance: no substantial interruption of safe and orderly traffic on contiguous streets, no diversion of so many police officers or ambulances that normal service to the rest of the city suffers, no undue interference with fire, police or ambulance service near assembly points, no interference with firefighting equipment en route to a fire, and an expeditious schedule from origin to termination. Each permit states the starting time, minimum speed, maximum speed, maximum interval between units, the portions of the street that can be occupied and the maximum length in miles (§ 90-428). The chairperson carries the permit during the parade (§ 90-429), and a copy goes to the board, the chief of police, the city attorney, the fire chief and the director of public works (§ 90-427). The chief of police can restrict parking along the route and post signs (§ 90-404(b)).