Kokomo, IN Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Kokomo Code of Ordinances Chapter 75 governs parades, public demonstrations, and organized processions on any street or outdoor place the city controls, including rallies and exhibitions. Under Section 75.04, no person may engage in, participate in, aid, form, or start a parade without a permit issued by the Director, the Traffic Supervisor or designate, unless the activity is a funeral procession, lawful labor-dispute picketing on sidewalks, or a government agency acting within its own functions. Section 75.05 requires the application to be filed with the Traffic Supervisor at least 60 days before the event date, signed and notarized, and to list the organizer's name, address, and phone number, plus the same for any sponsoring organization.

Any parade that includes vehicles or animals must carry comprehensive general liability insurance covering the assembly area, parade route, and disbanding area, with minimum limits of $5,000 for property damage and $25,000 per person or $50,000 per occurrence for bodily injury or death, proven to the Director before the permit issues. Section 75.06 lets the Director approve the permit only after finding the parade will not tie up traffic, divert too many police officers or ambulances, block firefighting access, or risk injury, disorder, or unreasonable delay, and that it is not staged purely to advertise a product or for private profit.

The Director must act within 38 days and, if denying the request, must mail written reasons by registered mail; Section 75.08 gives the applicant five days to appeal that denial to the City Council, which takes it up at its next regular meeting. Every permit must state the date, start and end times, the streets to be used, and the number of people, animals, and vehicles involved, and the parade chairman must carry the permit while the parade is underway.