Mount Vernon, NY Special Events & Permits: Park Event Permits (2026)

Section 186-11 of the Parks and Playgrounds chapter states that no persons shall hold any meeting or make a speech or address or erect any structure, stand or platform in any park or street park without a permit, to be granted by the City Council. The neighboring § 186-10 imposes an identical Council-permit requirement on organized movement through a park, providing that no parade, drill or maneuver of any kind shall be conducted, nor shall any person play upon a musical instrument or display any flag other than an American flag, banner, target, sign, placard or transparency, in any park, nor shall any civic or other procession form or move therein, without a permit granted by the City Council.

Together the two sections put every organized public gathering, whether stationary (a rally, speech or platform) or moving (a parade or procession), through the same City Council approval process rather than an administrative department permit. Section 186-12 applies the same Council-permit model to commercial activity, barring the sale of merchandise or conducting business in a park without one. Chapter 186 carries no penalty section of its own, so a violation of §§ 186-10 through 186-12 falls to the City's general penalty in § 1-4: a fine of up to $250, imprisonment of up to 15 days, or both, or up to $500 for a corporation.