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

Article X of Chapter 22 defines a parade as any march, procession, motorcade, marathon or race of people, animals or vehicles on public rights-of-way that has a substantial likelihood of interfering with normal traffic flow. Section 22-419 makes it unlawful to conduct one without a permit issued by the chief of police, though spontaneous events, funeral processions, military and county fire/police parades, and gatherings unlikely to require closing a street are exempt. Under Section 22-420, applicants must file in writing at least 30 days before the event, giving contact information, sponsoring organization details, the parade's nature and size (pedestrians, vehicles, animals, expected numbers), proposed dates and times for formation, start and finish, the route, and formation/disbanding locations, plus a route map.

If the route crosses the state primary highway system, written permission from VDOT's resident engineer must be attached before the application is considered complete; the chief may still consider late applications if time and resources allow. Section 22-421 requires the chief of police to issue or deny the permit within 15 days, expressly barring any decision based on the content, message or viewpoint of speech in the parade. A permit issues if traffic and crowd control can be arranged, the parade won't violate state law, and it won't conflict with a previously scheduled event; the chief may attach restrictions and must state reasons in writing if denying a permit.

Section 22-422 requires the applicant to agree to pay the reasonable cost of traffic and crowd control, set by a uniform fee schedule tied to personnel and duration, again without regard to the content of the parade's message. Section 22-423 lets the chief revoke a permit for false or misleading information in the application or a substantial violation of any permit term or restriction.