Wauwatosa, WI Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)
Key Facts
- Permitting authority
- Chief of Police (§ 12.40.010)
- Qualifying uses
- Parades, block parties, civic celebrations
- Barricade fee
- Per city fee schedule (§ 12.40.015)
- Barricade return window
- 3 working days after the event
- Revocation trigger
- One complaint of impaired street access
- Appeal of denial
- Board of Public Works (§ 12.40.040)
Summary
Anyone who wants to close a Wauwatosa street for a parade, block party, civic celebration or similar function needs a permit from the chief of police under Municipal Code Section 12.40.010. The permit cannot cut off public access to properties on the block, and it can be revoked on the spot if someone complains their access is impaired.
The chief of police of the city of Wauwatosa is given authorization to issue permits for temporarily detouring users of a specific street for purposes of allowing its use for unusual purposes, such as parades, children's plays, recreational purposes, civic celebration, block parties and other such similar type functions. ... Such permit shall not be allowed to unreasonably interfere with the public's right to use such street nor completely prevent access to and from properties located on the street involved. ... Upon the complaint of any person that his rights to use said street are impaired, the chief of police may immediately revoke the permit. ... Any person denied a permit may appeal to the board of public works, who shall have the power to review and issue a permit within its discretion.
Full Breakdown
40, Blocking Streets For Unusual Purposes, puts street-closure permitting in the hands of the police department rather than a special-events office. 085(1) of the prior code and Ordinance 72-14 of 1972. 015, covering the city's cost of delivering and picking up the barricades. An applicant may instead agree to pick up and return the barricades from the department of public works during regular working hours, signing for and accepting responsibility for their return; barricades not returned within three working days of the event are picked up by the city and billed to the applicant at the fee-schedule rate.
020 bars any closure from unreasonably interfering with the public's right to use the street or from completely cutting off access to properties on it. 030 lets the chief of police revoke the permit immediately, without a hearing. 040 allows an appeal to the board of public works, which reviews the denial and has discretion to issue the permit anyway.
Violations & Fines
Closing a street without a police-chief permit under Section 12.40.010 is unauthorized use of a public street. Once issued, a permit that unreasonably interferes with public access violates Section 12.40.020 and can trigger immediate revocation under Section 12.40.030 on a single complaint of impaired access. Barricades kept past three working days after the event draw a fee-schedule charge under Section 12.40.015.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who issues parade and street-closure permits in Wauwatosa?
Do I have to pay for barricades for a Wauwatosa block party?
Can my street closure permit be revoked after it's issued?
What can I do if my parade permit is denied?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Wauwatosa
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Parade Permits in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Milwaukee County handle parade permits.