New Orleans, LA Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Section 34-2 requires any carnival organization that wants to stage a parade to first apply for a permit and written route clearance from the department of police and separately apply for and obtain a mayoralty permit through the department of finance; both departments must approve or deny the application within 60 days of submission. Parade permits may be issued only to nonprofit organizations, must be issued by the department of finance no later than January 15 each year or 15 days before the start of the parade season (whichever is earlier), cover a single date and specified time, and cannot exceed a maximum of 34 permits for any single carnival parade season.

Section 34-3 layers on the application mechanics: by August 15, the organization must file a route and pre-parade party application naming the disbanding area, reviewing stands, a designated ceremonial toast stop, a contact officer, articles of incorporation, and a nondiscrimination affidavit; by January 15, it must pay a nonrefundable permit fee scaled to the parade's pull units ($750 for 14–27 units, $1,000 for 28–36, $1,500 for 37–45) and submit to the police department a builder's structural safety certification for each float plus proof of commercial general liability insurance meeting the code's minimum coverage schedule.

Section 34-4 fixes the specific parade dates and assigns them to named krewes, and bars any carnival parade outside the carnival parade season or any new permit for the period from the second Friday before Mardi Gras through Mardi Gras Day.