After downloading and printing the application, complete the application and return it to:
Austin Police Department
Special Events Unit
PO Box 689001
Austin, Texas 78768-9001
Remember to have the signature page notarized before the parade permit application is submitted.
Important Information
The following is designed to assist you in completing an application for a parade permit and hopefully help you avoid the necessity of multiple trips to the Police Department to make changes, corrections or provide clarification of application information. To help you understand exactly what information is needed, some of the most common problems occurring in the past have been pointed out here.
- The Date and Time: Page one of the permit application should include the time that the parade will actually begin, not the time you plan to form. Depending upon the length and complexity of the event, we will assemble our officers 15 to 30 minutes early for briefing. Failure to specify the exact time may result in extra charges to the permit applicant. The time listed will be strictly adhered to.
- This Department will date all parade permit applications upon receipt. Applications will be accepted no later than ten (10) working days prior to the planned event. In the case of two or more requests for permits for the same date, the earliest date and time will be given first preference. Rain dates will not be considered.
- Addresses: All addresses must be completed with City and Zip Code. Print legibly or type the permit application. Incomplete or unreadable information may cause you to make an otherwise unnecessary trip to the Police Department to make corrections or to rewrite an incomplete/illegible portion of the permit.
- Route: On page two of the application "Proposed Route of Parade 1st choice" this must be filled out and must be accurate. We have had routes submitted in the past that were physically impossible because the streets did not intersect or were not even in the same part of town. A map may be attached, but this does not eliminate the requirement for a written route (Parades Chap 14-7). If the map alone is attached, you will again have to make another trip to the Police Department to make the change.
Parade permits must be issued for parades, political protests, and VIP escorts.
The Austin Police Department Motorcycle/Special Events Division can provide police officers for the planning and execution of parades as defined in the City of Austin Parade Ordinance: Chapter 14-7 (Parades). The Police Department has established a specific route for those parades that use Congress Avenue. This route was established for the safety of the parade participants and to provide the best alternative routes for traffic. Applications for parade permits must be filed not less than ten (10) days or more than sixty (60) days before the date of the parade.
There is a two (2) hour minimum charge for each officer assigned to all events.
For additional information, please call 974-5032. The fax number is 974-6636.
Parades
If you need any part of the public street to stage your parade participants, you will be required to obtain a street closure permit from City Right-of-Way Management. This permit must be approved (60) sixty days prior to the approved date of your parade.
Athletic Events
Any athletic type event such as runs, walks, or bicycle rides that traverse multiple public streets or thorougfares are required to have a street event permit. This application must be approved (45) forty-five days before the date of the event. Applications can be picked up through the City Public Works and Transportation Department.
Whenever it is necessary to use traffic cones in the street to delineate lanes, etc., the cones must be 28" high. If the cones are in use during the hours of darkness, they must have double reflective collars. This is a mandatory requirement from the City of Austin Transportation Criteria Manual, and the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control devices. For more information contact Margaret Guerrero at 974-2217 at the City of Austin Right-of-Way Management at 505 Barton Springs Road, eighth floor.
If street closure permits are necessary, the applicant is required to pay for barricades and officers to staff the barricades.
