Lake County, FL Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

Lake County Code Sec. 13-146 defines a special event broadly: it covers anything intended to, or likely to, attract more than five hundred people, anything that requires the temporary closure of any collector or arterial public roadway (which is how a parade route gets captured), any event involving the use of pyrotechnics, or one that exceeds a venue's permitted patron count. The definition applies even if the event is already an allowed use under zoning. Sec. 13-147(a) requires the organizer to first secure a special event permit from the county manager or designee before staging, promoting or conducting the event, and the county manager coordinates the application across departments.

Sec. 13-147(c) lists what must accompany the application: a site plan showing parking (one space per three patrons), a public-safety plan covering security, traffic control and fire protection, a written liability insurance policy of at least $300,000 per person and $500,000 per incident, plus $100,000 in property damage coverage, and a signed, notarized application from every property owner involved. Sec. 13-147(d) sets the filing deadline at 90 days before the event, waivable only for exigent circumstances the applicant didn't cause. Under Sec. 13-148(a), the county manager must grant or deny within 30 days of a complete filing, or the application is automatically denied.

A denial can be appealed to the Board of Adjustment under Sec. 13-148(d), and a person denied at one location can't reapply for that same spot within a year absent changed circumstances.