Rockdale County, GA Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Section 218-2 defines a special event broadly, covering festivals, carnivals, celebrations, foot or vehicle races, parades, processions and block parties on private property or on county streets, sidewalks, rights-of-way and parks that affect ordinary public use through street closings, blocked access or similar impacts. The application must include a boundary map no smaller than 8 1/2 by 11 inches, dates, hours, estimated attendance and, for public-property events, proof of $500,000 combined-limit general liability coverage. Sanitation duties fall on the permit holder: portable toilets are required once 100 or more attendees are expected, and trash receptacles once 50 or more are expected, both sized and sited by the county's Environmental Health Department.

Traffic and crowd control are staffed by the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office at the permit holder's cost, and the site must be restored to its pre-event condition within 24 hours or the county bills the holder for cleanup. The director of the department must approve, conditionally approve or deny an application within 20 days of a complete filing; a denial can be appealed to the board of adjustment under § 238-8, with further review by writ of certiorari to Rockdale County Superior Court under § 238-13.

Exemptions exist for funeral processions, county/school/state/federal-sponsored events, constitutionally protected marches and demonstrations (which get a shortened 20-day filing window and 10-day permit turnaround when they need street closings), and small private gatherings, yard sales and garage sales that use no public property. Private-property special events are capped at two per calendar year per parcel.