Santa Ana, CA Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Sec. 10-9 requires the parade application to list the organizer's contact information, the sponsoring organization if any, the parade chairman who must be present throughout, the date, the exact route with a map, the approximate number of people, animals and vehicles, the hours, whether the parade will use the full or half street width, the assembly and disassembly locations, the assembly start time, and the parade's maximum length. The city manager forwards the application to the police chief, public works director, fire chief, traffic engineer and the Orange County Transit District, each of whom may report back within ten days (Sec.

10-11). Before a permit issues, the applicant must indemnify the city for claims arising from the parade (Sec. 10-10). Sec. 10-12 requires the city manager to find that the parade will not substantially interrupt traffic, will not divert so many officers that normal police protection suffers, will not interfere with fire, police or ambulance access, is not likely to cause injury or provoke disorder, will move without unreasonable delay, does not conflict with an already-permitted parade, and that the route can physically hold the expected crowd.

The city manager must act within fifteen days; failing to act is treated as a denial, and a denial states the reasons in writing. Permits set the assembly area and time, starting time, vehicle speeds, maximum length, spacing between units and the streets to be occupied (Sec. 10-15). Sign supports are limited to wood, blunt-ended, no more than 40 inches long, ¼ inch thick and 2 inches wide, gas masks are banned, and amplification requires a specific permit condition (Sec. 10-16). Permits may be revoked for violated conditions, and any action may be appealed under Chapter 3, with judicial review under Sec. 5.