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

Section 7.05.010, in Chapter 7.05 Miscellaneous Traffic Rules, requires a Chief of Police permit before any procession or parade containing seven or more vehicles, or a mixed group of seven or more vehicles and pedestrians, may occupy, march or proceed along a Lafayette street or sidewalk. The exemption covers only United States Army or Navy forces, state military forces, and the city's own Police and Fire Departments. The ordinance instructs the Chief of Police not to refuse a permit unless the stated purpose is deemed injurious to public health or safety or, in the Chief's opinion, would incite a riot, and it lets the Chief use discretion to relieve permitted participants from obeying traffic signals or other chapter provisions when doing so best serves the event and the community.

A separate carve-out in subsection C exempts convoys that only pass through Lafayette without originating or ending in the city; those convoys need no permit, though the Chief of Police may still provide police escort at his or her discretion. Any violation of § 7.05.010 is punished under the Chapter 7.05 catch-all penalty at § 7.05.990: a minimum fine of $10.00 and a maximum of $1,000.00 per violation, with fines that cannot be waived or suspended once assessed. Parade permit applications are handled directly by the Lafayette Police Department.