Mount Prospect, IL Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Article X of Chapter 23 governs parades. Section 23.1001 defines a parade as any parade, march, ceremony, show, exhibition, pageant or procession, or similar display, consisting of twenty (20) or more persons in or upon any street, park or other public place in the Village. Section 23.1002 then bars any person from engaging in, participating in, aiding, forming or starting a parade without a parade permit from the Chief of Police. Funeral processions, students under school supervision, and a governmental agency acting within the scope of its functions are outside the article.

Section 23.1003 sets the timeline. The application goes to the Chief of Police on the Chief's forms not less than thirty (30) days nor more than ninety (90) days before the parade. The Chief has authority to consider a late application filed not less than ten (10) days ahead when good cause is shown. The application lists thirteen items, including the parade chairman, the date, the route with starting point and termination, the number of persons, animals and vehicles, the hours, and the assembly areas and times.

Under Section 23.1004 the Chief issues the permit when the parade will not substantially interrupt other traffic, will not divert so many officers that normal police protection to the Village suffers, will not interfere with fire and ambulance service or fire-fighting equipment, and is not reasonably likely to cause injury, provoke disorderly conduct or create a disturbance. The parade also cannot be held for the sole purpose of advertising a product, or purely for private profit.

The Chief acts within three (3) days of filing and mails reasons for any denial within the same three days. Section 23.1005 lets an aggrieved person appeal to the President and Board of Trustees within three (3) days after notice, and the Board acts at its next regular meeting. Section 23.1006 lets the Chief authorize a different date, time or route. Each permit states the starting time, minimum and maximum speed, interval between units, portions of streets occupied and maximum length in miles, and the parade chairman carries it during the parade.