Roanoke County, VA Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Roanoke County's Chapter 14, the Assembly, Demonstration, and Parade Ordinance adopted January 14, 2025 (replacing the former chapter), requires a written permit before anyone conducts or participates in a public assembly, demonstration or parade on county streets, sidewalks, shared-use paths, greenways, trails, parks or other public property, per § 14-7(a). The permit rule exempts spontaneous events, ordinary jogging or walking that does not close a street, door-to-door canvassing or sales, funeral processions, school activities, military and public-safety agencies, government agencies, activities on the City of Roanoke-owned Carvins Cove Natural Reserve, and small processions confined to one traffic lane, under § 14-7(b).

To apply, § 14-8 requires a written application to the chief of police at least five days before the event, naming the organizer, the event leader, the planned route or location, expected attendance, timing, and any sound equipment, banners or attention-getting devices; the chief may waive the five-day window for good cause. Section 14-10 sets a flat $25 fee to process the application, plus a separate administrative fee, based on the parade's classification under § 14-6, that reimburses the police department's traffic-control costs. Under § 14-11, the chief must issue or deny the permit, generally within three days, applying safety-based criteria, and cannot deny a permit based on the content of the views expressed.

A denial can be appealed to the county administrator within five working days under § 14-16, and ultimately to the Roanoke County Circuit Court, with the county bearing the burden of justifying the denial.