Story County, IA Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit trigger
- events over 4 hours, 250+ people
- Application deadline
- 21 calendar days before event
- Administering office
- Planning and Development Director
- Final approval
- Story County Board of Supervisors
- Exemptions
- conditional-use, family events, funerals, ag use
- Violation penalty
- permit fee plus up to 2x fee
Summary
Anyone holding a parade, race, concert, or other public assembly in unincorporated Story County, on private property, county roads, or county property, needs a special events permit under Code of Ordinances § 83.04 before the event, unless it falls under a listed exemption in § 83.05. A separate application is required for each event, though a multi-day event needs only one permit.
An individual, corporation, partnership, association, or other entity, whether public or private, may not hold a special event without first obtaining a special events permit, subject to exemptions indicated in Section 83.05. A separate special event application shall be submitted for each requested special event. However, for a multi-day special event, only one special event permit is required.
Full Breakdown
Story County's special events chapter (Chapter 83) covers concerts, sporting events, bike, foot, or vehicle road and off-road racing, carnivals, and public assemblies where the impact on the site, neighbors, or roads is noticeable and measurable, defined in Section 83.01 as any activity lasting more than four hours and drawing more than 250 combined staff, volunteers, participants, and spectators. Section 83.04 bars holding such an event without first getting a permit from the Story County Planning and Development Director, the chapter's administering official under Section 83.02.
Four exemptions apply under Section 83.05: activities already covered by an approved conditional use permit, private family events with no remuneration, funeral processions, and activities exempt for agricultural purposes under Iowa Code Chapter 335.27, though the Director has final discretion over whether an event qualifies. Applications go to the Planning and Development Department at least 21 calendar days before the event under Section 83.08, and must cover the site plan, traffic control, security, fire and EMS plans, and estimated attendance under Section 83.06; the County Sheriff's Office, applicable fire chief, ambulance district, Environmental Health, County Engineer, County Conservation, and Emergency Management Department all review the application.
Reviewing departments respond within three business days, the County sends public notice to property owners within one-quarter mile, and final approval rests with the Story County Board of Supervisors, per Sections 83.08 and 83.09, which also authorizes post-permit site inspections.
Violations & Fines
A special event held without a permit, or run outside its approved terms, is a county infraction under Section 83.11, punishable by a citation for the permit fee plus up to twice the permit fee, in place of the $750 penalty set in Section 93.03, with harsher penalties available for repeat offenses. The County Sheriff's Office can stop an ongoing event that lacks a valid permit and can separately cite participants for related violations such as disturbing the peace, public nuisance, failure to disperse, or trespass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a permit for a small family gathering?
How far ahead do I need to apply?
Who decides whether my event needs a permit?
What happens if I hold the event without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Story County
Compare Story County to another location·View the Iowa special events & permits overview
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