Waterloo, IA Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Waterloo Traffic Code § 403, "Parades And Processions," makes the Mayor the gatekeeper for any parade or procession on city streets: it may be held only "with permission of the Mayor under such rules as the Chief of Police may prescribe," and the organizers must give the police "information regarding the nature of the same" in advance, before the event, so the Chief of Police can plan rules and staffing. The Code treats circus parades separately in the adjoining Section 402, which likewise requires approval of the Mayor and the Chief of Police and lets the Chief designate which streets circus vehicles may use, while barring circus vehicles from driving over softer-paved streets whenever a hard-topped street is available.

Section 404 backs both permit sections up: once a parade or procession is under way, no vehicle may drive through it without a police officer's permission, protecting the route the Mayor and Chief of Police have already approved. Neither Section 402 nor 403 sets a written list of criteria the Mayor must apply, so approval is discretionary rather than a numeric or as-of-right standard, and neither section states a specific fee. A general Traffic Code misdemeanor penalty applies to anyone who holds an unauthorized parade or drives through an approved one without permission.