McHenry County, IL Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

420 of the Access Control and Right-of-Way Management Ordinance names parades, marathons, festivals and other special events, along with filming and moving large structures, as examples of a temporary highway closure the McHenry County Division of Transportation (MCDOT) can permit. A closure is granted only when no other feasible option exists and a suitable detour route will not unduly delay traffic, and it cannot be scheduled to hit morning, afternoon or evening peak travel periods. The permittee, not the County, bears every cost: advance notification of the closure and detour route, all traffic control devices including changeable message signs, and any Sheriff's or police presence MCDOT decides to require.

If emergency vehicles cannot pass through the closed segment, the organizer must get written approval from every emergency service provider within a 10-mile radius plus the County's Emergency Management Agency and Sheriff's Department confirming response times will not suffer. The organizer must also get written approval from every adjacent property owner affected by the closure and arrange parking for anyone who cannot reach their driveway, with copies of that approval submitted to MCDOT before the permit issues. Debris, signage or other items placed for the event must come out once the closure ends; if the organizer doesn't remove them, MCDOT can do it and bill the cost back.