Union, NY Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Section 191-3 of the Town of Union Code is the Town's parade and assembly authority. Acting under Subdivision (a) of § 1603 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law, the Town Board delegates to the Building Official, Highway Superintendent, Deputy Superintendents of Highway, Superintendent of Services, Deputy Superintendent of Services, the Park Patrol Rangers and all police agencies the power to exercise, by official order, rule or regulation, specified powers granted to the legislative body of the Town in Article 41 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law. The delegation is subject to the limitations imposed by §§ 1664 and 1684 of that law. The section was amended 1-16-2002 by L.L. No. 1-2002.

Subsection D is the one that reaches public gatherings: the delegated officials may license, regulate or prohibit processions, assemblages or parades. That wording gives the Town three tools, not one. It can require a license, attach regulations to an event that goes ahead, or prohibit it. The code section itself prints no application form, fee or filing deadline, so the terms of any license come through the official order, rule or regulation of the officials named above rather than from a fixed schedule in this section.

The code does set one hard condition. Whenever a procession, assemblage or parade authorized by a local authority will block the movement of traffic on a state highway maintained by the state, or on a highway which connects two state highways maintained by the state to make a through route, for a period in excess of 10 minutes, the authority must, prior to the blocking, provide and designate with a conspicuous sign a detour adequate to prevent unreasonable delay in the movement of traffic on that state highway. The duty falls on the authorizing body, so organizers planning a route along a state road need the detour settled before the permit is relied on.

The same power is repeated in § 191-3.1, added 12-7-2011 by L.L. No. 12-2011, with identical subsection D wording. Related powers in § 191-3(E) let the delegated officials prohibit or regulate the operation and the stopping, standing or parking of vehicles in cemeteries, public parks and residential-zoned areas, which matters for event parking.