Prescott Valley, AZ Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Section 11-02-170, Street Closures and Processions, requires a permit from the Chief of Police before anyone conducts a parade, a motorcade or any other event, apart from lawful maintenance or construction, that closes a public street to normal vehicular travel in the Town of Prescott Valley, Arizona. Knowingly taking part in such an event without the permit is also unlawful. A parade is an organized march or procession of people, animals or vehicles that needs street closure or traffic regulation. A motorcade is an organized procession of ten (10) or more vehicles.

The permit requirement does not apply to funeral processions, students under school supervision, a governmental agency acting within its functions, or spontaneous events occasioned by news or affairs activities that exercise First and Fourteenth Amendment or Arizona Constitution rights and come into public knowledge within two (2) days. For the spontaneous event the organizer gives the Town written notice at least twenty-four (24) hours before.

Applications go to the Chief at least thirty (30) days ahead, though the Chief can accept a shorter filing after weighing the date, time, place, nature of the parade, number of participants and Town services needed, if the waiver presents no hazard to public safety. The application names the organizer, certifies that the organizer will arrange temporary traffic control devices under the MUTCD and the Arizona Supplement, and gives the date and times, the route, the expected participants, animals and vehicles, and any bands or sound equipment.

Issuance depends on a fee set by Town Council resolution, a written agreement to follow the permit, and insurance naming the Town, unless the Chief waives it after consulting the Risk Manager and the Town Attorney. Constitutionally protected activity is processed promptly with no fee or insurance. The Chief weighs listed safety factors such as street widths, speed limits, emergency vehicle access, police staffing and whether another application already holds the date, time and location.

Denials or modifications state written reasons, are delivered at least forty-eight (48) hours before the event, and cannot rest on the viewpoints participants express. The Chief cannot permit closure of any part of State or Federal highways or rights-of-way within the Town limits.