Portland, ME Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

' Rather than writing a dollar figure into the ordinance, the city council resets this fee every year 'by annual order,' so a parade organizer has to check the current council order rather than the code text for the exact cost. The permit itself is issued under Section 25-26, which requires a duly authorized permit before anyone places anything, or, by extension, holds an event, in or on a city street, way, or public place; Section 25-27(a)(4) is simply the pricing clause for that same authorization when the underlying use is an organized event rather than a physical object like a sign or a barricade.

The provision groups protests, rallies, and petitioning activity together with commercial promotions and road races under a single fee mechanism, though separately, Section 25-26(a) carves out an exemption from the underlying permit requirement for individuals engaged in First-Amendment-protected activity, distributing political or religious literature or gathering petition signatures, outside of declared festivals, since that exemption reaches only table-and-chair setups under Chapter 19, not full parades or marches.