Special Events & Permits in Virginia (2026)

A Chesapeake block party, defined as a neighborhood gathering confined to a stated area with the streets blocked off…

Holding a block party or street fair on a Norfolk street or other public place requires a permit from the city manager…

A neighborhood block party that closes a Portsmouth street counts as a 'public assembly' under City Code § 22-12, so…

A Roanoke neighborhood block party, defined in Sec. 30-102(h)(3) as a small-scale closure of a limited number of blocks…

A block party that closes a Newport News street needs a special event permit and a $50 nonrefundable application fee…

The Chief of Police can approve a temporary street closure in Richmond for a private purpose like a block party…

Virginia Beach requires a special event permit from the city manager for any block party, parade, or gathering of 200…

Albemarle County requires a permit from the Department of Parks and Recreation for any gathering of 100 or more people…

Hampton's parks director can reserve specific park areas, picnic shelters, ball fields, exclusively for one group, and…

Anyone sponsoring a public gathering of more than 75 people in a Loudoun County park or adjacent community-center area…

Public assemblies, demonstrations, and parades held in a Lynchburg park or recreation area need a written permit under…

Holding a special event or gathering on Newport News park or recreation property requires a permit issued under rules…

Portsmouth requires a director-issued permit before holding a meeting, exhibition, ceremony, or speech in a city park…

Reserving a picnic pavilion or other Prince William County park facility requires a park use permit from the County…

Exclusive use of any Richmond City park, park house, playground, recreation center or public open space requires a…

Anyone wanting to use a Roanoke park during closed hours (11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.) must apply to the city manager for a…

Anyone wanting to hold an activity in a Roanoke County park that Chapter 15 otherwise prohibits, such as an exclusive…

Alexandria's director of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities issues written permits for using any city park as…

Chesapeake requires a city manager permit before holding a gathering of 500 or more people, using amplified sound…

Chesterfield requires a special events permit before a gathering in a county park can run outside posted park hours or…

Henrico's parks and recreation department controls who can hold gatherings, sell goods or run amplified sound in county…

Renting a Norfolk park, field, shelter, or recreation facility for a private event requires a permit from the director…

Any city park gathering expected to draw 200 or more people, or one that requires altering the park's normal…

Special events held on County, Park Authority, or Fairfax County Public Schools property are exempt from the zoning…

No athletic contest, race, demonstration, planned gathering, or parade may occupy or proceed along an Albemarle County…

Chesapeake requires a city manager permit before any parade, procession or public assembly of more than ten people may…

Hampton requires a police-issued permit before any parade, march or procession on city streets, sidewalks or parks…

Henrico County requires a permit from the chief of police before any parade, march, procession, motorcade, marathon or…

Lynchburg requires a written police permit before anyone holds a parade, demonstration, or public assembly of more than…

Anyone holding a parade in Portsmouth, a march, procession or motorcade that interferes with normal traffic on a public…

Holding a public meeting or parade inside a Prince William County park requires written permission from the County…

Richmond requires a written permit from the Chief of Police for any parade, public assembly of more than ten people, or…

Anyone holding a parade, race, walk, or other public assembly on a Roanoke street, sidewalk, alley, or park needs a…

In Roanoke County, Virginia (outside the independent cities of Roanoke and Salem), anyone leading a parade or public…

Spotsylvania County requires a parade permit from the county administrator at least 21 days before any march…

Any parade or procession on a Virginia Beach street requires a permit from the city manager under City Code § 33-9.1…

Alexandria requires a permit before anyone parades, marches, holds a procession or motorcade, or runs a special event…

Arlington County requires a permit from the County Manager before a circus can parade on county streets. Under County…

Any parade or procession on a Chesterfield street or right-of-way needs a police chief permit under Chapter 3, Article…

Fairfax County Code Section 82-1-17 bars any funeral procession or parade from occupying, marching, or proceeding along…

Loudoun County requires a permit for parades and other public gatherings of more than 75 people on county parks…

Outside Blacksburg and Christiansburg, no parade may occupy, march or proceed along any county highway without a permit…

Parades on Newport News streets or sidewalks need a special event permit under Sec. 38-333, though First Amendment…

Conducting a parade, public assembly, or expressive activity in a Norfolk street, sidewalk, or park requires a permit…

Arlington County treats carnivals, fairs, festivals and similar public gatherings as "special events" under its Fire…

Hampton requires a special event permit before holding a street fair, festival, or similar outdoor gathering, with…

Hanover County zoning treats a paid outdoor music or entertainment festival as a special exception use in most of the…

Any musical or entertainment festival in unincorporated Montgomery County needs a special entertainment permit from the…

Street fairs and festivals in Newport News are 'expanded events' requiring a special event permit and an approved…

Prince William County requires a $1,000 amusement license, filed 30 days ahead, before anyone stages an outdoor musical…

Roanoke County treats any street fair, festival, carnival or similar event expected to draw 500 or more people outdoors…

Anyone staging an outdoor musical or entertainment festival in unincorporated Spotsylvania County must get a special…

Virginia Beach charges $300 per event day plus 1% of gross admissions for carnivals, street fairs, and tent shows…

Any street fair, festival, parade, procession, or special event held on an Alexandria street requires a permit before…

Anyone organizing a street fair, festival, flea market or craft show in unincorporated Chesterfield County must buy a…

Street fairs and festivals in Fairfax County need a Tier-One or Tier-Two administrative zoning permit, capped at 12…

Anyone selling goods at a festival or a prearranged event of more than 100 people in Frederick County needs a vendor…

Anyone staging an outdoor commercial festival in Henrico, including a music-driven street fair, needs a special…

Loudoun County requires a temporary Zoning Permit for carnivals, festivals, and similar special events under Zoning…

Anyone running a carnival, circus, festival or fair in Lynchburg must build in a 20-foot-wide access lane rated for…

Richmond charges tiered hourly fees for street fairs and festivals held on City grounds under Richmond City Code §…

Organizers of Roanoke craft shows, art shows, trade shows or festivals with five or more vendors owe a $3 per-vendor…

Stafford County requires a permit before anyone stages an outdoor musical or entertainment festival, defined as a…

Roanoke folds commercial filming into its special event rules: Sec. 30-102(h) defines filming in any public…

Commercial film shoots and drone filming on Richmond park property are not covered by a stand-alone film permit: they…

Alexandria allows parklets in the public right-of-way only under a permit reviewed by the Director of T&ES and…

Arlington County Code § 22-5(L) creates the Parklet Program, allowing individuals, businesses, organizations and…

Turning a Richmond parking space into a parklet or bike corral requires a Director of Public Works permit plus Planning…

A restaurant that wants tables and chairs on an Arlington County sidewalk needs an annual Outdoor Cafe License from the…

Newport News lets restaurants apply for a revocable permit to place tables and chairs in the public right-of-way…

Restaurants that want to build an outdoor dining area in Norfolk's public right-of-way need a § 42-12.1 permit from the…

Restaurants in Portsmouth cannot put tables, chairs or planters on the public sidewalk without an outdoor dining area…

Virginia Beach requires a written encroachment agreement for outdoor cafes on public sidewalks, and Oceanfront Resort…

Alexandria restaurants need an encroachment permit to place outdoor dining on a public sidewalk or in a parklet…

Fairfax County zoning lets restaurants and similar food establishments add outdoor dining areas by right, capped at 50…

Hampton restaurants in the Phoebus, Downtown Business, and Downtown Waterfront districts need an outdoor seating permit…

Lynchburg businesses in the downtown business district can place tables, chairs, benches and merchandise displays on…

In Montgomery County outside Blacksburg and Christiansburg, restaurants with outdoor sidewalk seating in the PUD-TND…

Restaurants that want tables on a Richmond public sidewalk need an approved sidewalk cafe permit from the Directors of…

Restaurants that own or lease property in Roanoke and hold a state health department food permit can apply to the city…