Special Events & Permits in Pennsylvania (2026)

Block parties and parades in Bethlehem need a temporary street-closing permit controlled by the Police Department…

Closing a Philadelphia street for a block party requires a Streets Department permit and signatures from 75% of the…

In Franklin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, the Township can close any street or part of a street to vehicular…

Neighborhood block parties in Pittsburgh require a right-of-way closure permit from the Director of Mobility and…

Reading requires a block party permit at least 30 days before the event, filed online or at the Police Department…

Section 425-20 requires anyone holding a picnic, festival, road race, fishing contest or similar gathering in an…

Anyone organizing an activity or event in a Bethlehem city park must first get an Event Permit from the Director of…

Reserving a pavilion, athletic field, camping ground, or any other Bucks County park area requires a Department of…

Erie requires a permit from the Director of Parks and Public Places for softball field or Glenwood Picnic Grove use and…

York County requires a rental permit to reserve any park-designated space, and a special events permit plus a special…

Reserving a building, shelter, grove, athletic field, or other facility in an Allegheny County park requires a permit…

Groups of 10 or more people need an advance permit from the Delaware County Parks and Recreation Department to picnic…

Franklin Township parks operate first-come, first-served unless reserved under § 16-108: annual Board of Supervisors…

Events in Philadelphia parks require permits from Philadelphia Parks and Recreation. Gatherings of 50+ people need a…

Pittsburgh requires a permit from Parks and Recreation, Public Works, or the Mayor's Office before reserving a shelter…

Reading requires a permit for any ceremony, musical, theatrical or other entertainment event held in a city park, under…

Reserving a Scranton ball field, pavilion or the city's Showmobile for a game, tournament or gathering requires a…

Musical or theatrical events, overnight camping, and any picnic or gathering over 25 people in an Upper Darby park…

Allegheny County requires written, signed authorization from the Parks Department Director before holding a parade…

Parades, marches and other events assembling on Allentown streets need a Mayor-issued permit under Chapter 532, applied…

Any parade, procession, demonstration, picket line, or rally on Bucks County park property needs a Department permit…

Funerals, processions, or parades in the Municipality of Penn Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania exceeding 200…

Anyone planning a parade or an assembly of 50 or more people on a Pottstown street or sidewalk needs a permit from the…

Reading requires a City-issued permit before conducting a parade, special event, block party, community site…

A parade, festival, or other new special event that will draw a large crowd in Scranton needs a temporary-use approval…

No parade or procession can occupy or move along a Bethlehem street without a permit from the Traffic Division, under…

In Franklin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, anyone organizing a procession or an assemblage that interferes…

Philadelphia requires a written permit from the Department of Licenses and Inspections before any parade, procession…

Parades, public assemblies, and other special events on Pittsburgh streets or City property need an Event Permit from…

Street fairs, festivals, and carnivals in Pittsburgh need a Special Event Permit filed with the Mayor's Office 14 to…

Reading requires every vendor at a permitted street fair or festival to be listed by name and product on the special…

Any municipally sponsored or sanctioned event occupying a Bethlehem street, sidewalk or right-of-way needs a permit…

Street closures for block parties, festivals, and street fairs need a Streets Department permit filed six weeks ahead…

Street fairs, festivals, and other community activities held in Scranton must recycle under City Code Section 400-33.I…

In Pittsburgh, an outdoor event covered by a Chapter 470 special events permit doesn't need a separate film permit…

Philadelphia parklets need a Pedestrian Enhancement Permit from Licenses & Inspections, valid one year, renewable…

Scranton defines a parklet as a platform or similar surface extending into the City right-of-way, such as a sidewalk or…

Reading flatly bars permanent sidewalk cafe structures: no raised decks, fences or fixed walls in the sidewalk area…

A permanent al fresco dining setup on a Philadelphia sidewalk needs an annual sidewalk café license from L&I, not a…

Pittsburgh requires an outdoor dining and retail license from the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure before any…

Scranton requires a permit from the Bureau of Code Enforcement before anyone can operate a sidewalk cafe under City…

Allentown restaurants and bars can operate a sidewalk cafe on the public sidewalk with an annual permit, provided…

Restaurants that want to serve diners on the public right-of-way in Bethlehem need a $25 Public Works permit under…

Sidewalk cafes and outdoor dining in Penn Hills skip the Zoning Code's outdoor-storage screening rules but still need…

Restaurants in Pottstown need a Borough permit to operate a sidewalk or outdoor dining area under Zoning Ordinance…

Upper Darby allows outdoor dining only as an accessory use to a full-service sit-down restaurant in the C-1 and C-3…