[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Washington 10-26-1995 by Ord. No. 26-1995 as Sec. 4-15 of the 1994 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The following meanings shall apply to words and phrases as used in this chapter:
PARADE
Any march, ceremony, show, exhibition, assembly, pageant or procession of any kind or any similar display in or upon any street, park or other public place in the Township.
PARADE PERMIT
A permit, as required by this chapter.
No person shall engage in, participate in, aid, form or start any parade unless a parade permit shall have been obtained from the Chief of Police. This chapter shall not apply to:
A. 
Funeral processions.
B. 
Students going to and from school classes or participating in educational activities under the immediate direction and supervision of the proper school authorities.
C. 
Processions sponsored by a governmental agency acting within the scope of its functions.
D. 
Wedding processions.
E. 
Processions arising out of labor disputes.
F. 
Processions sponsored by houses of religious worship.
A person seeking issuance of a parade permit shall file an application with the Chief of Police not less than 20 days nor more than 30 days before the date on which the parade is scheduled to be held. The application shall set forth the following:
A. 
The name, address and telephone number of the person seeking to conduct the parade.
B. 
If the parade is proposed to be conducted for, on behalf of or by an organization, the name, address and telephone number of the headquarters of the organization and of the authorized and responsible head(s) of the organization.
C. 
The name, address and telephone number of the person who will be the parade chairperson and who will be responsible for its conduct.
D. 
The date when the parade is to be conducted.
E. 
The route to be traveled, the starting point and the termination point.
F. 
The approximate number of persons, animals and vehicles which will constitute the parade; the type of animals and a description of the vehicles.
G. 
The hours when the parade will start and terminate.
H. 
A statement as to whether the parade will occupy all or only a portion of the width of the streets proposed to be traversed.
I. 
The location, by street, of any assembly areas for the parade.
J. 
The time at which units of the parade will begin to assemble at the assembly area or areas.
K. 
The interval of space to be maintained between units of the parade.
L. 
If the parade is designed to be held by, on behalf of or for any person other than the applicant, the applicant for the permit shall file with the Chief of Police a communication, in writing, from the person proposing to hold the parade authorizing the applicant to apply for the permit on his/her behalf.
M. 
Any additional information which the Chief of Police shall find reasonably necessary for a fair determination as to whether a permit should be issued.
The Chief of Police shall issue a permit, as provided for hereunder, when, from a consideration of the application and from other information as may otherwise be obtained, he/she finds that:
A. 
The conduct of the parade will not substantially interrupt the safe and orderly movement of traffic contiguous to its route.
B. 
The conduct of the parade will not require the diversion of so great a number of police officers of the Township to properly police the line of movement and the areas contiguous thereto as to prevent normal police protection of the Township.
C. 
The conduct of the parade will not require the diversion of so great a number of ambulances as to prevent normal ambulance service to portions of the Township, other than that to be occupied by the proposed line of march and areas contiguous thereto.
D. 
The concentration of persons, animals and vehicles at assembly points of the parade will not duly interfere with proper fire and police protection of, or ambulance service to, areas contiguous to the assembly areas.
E. 
The conduct of the parade will not interfere with the movement of fire-fighting equipment en route to a fire.
F. 
The parade is scheduled to move from its point of origin to its point of termination expeditiously and without unreasonable delays en route.
G. 
The parade is not to be held for the sole purpose of advertising any product, goods or event and is not designed to be held purely for private profit.
The Chief of Police shall act upon the application for a parade permit within 10 days after the filing thereof. If the Chief of Police disapproves the application, he/she shall mail to the applicant within 10 days after the date upon which the application was filed a notice of his/her action, stating the reasons for his/her denial of the permit.
Any person aggrieved shall have the right to appeal the denial of a parade permit to the Mayor. The appeal shall be taken within five days after notice. The Mayor shall act upon the appeal within two days after its receipt.
The Chief of Police, in denying an application for a parade permit, shall be empowered to authorize the conduct of the parade on a date, at a time or over a route different from that named by the applicant. An applicant desiring to accept an alternate permit shall, within five days after notice of the action of the Chief of Police, file a written notice of acceptance with the Chief of Police. An alternate parade permit shall conform to the requirements of, and shall have the effect of, a parade permit under this chapter.
Immediately upon the issuance of a parade permit, the Chief of Police shall send a copy thereof to the Mayor, Township Attorney, Fire Chief, postmaster and general manager or responsible head of each transportation utility, the regular routes of whose vehicles will be affected by the route of the proposed parade.
Each parade permit shall state the following information:
A. 
Starting time.
B. 
Minimum speed.
C. 
Maximum speed.
D. 
Maximum interval of space to be maintained between the units of the parade.
E. 
The portions of the streets to be traversed that may be occupied by the parade.
F. 
The maximum length of the parade in miles or fractions thereof.
G. 
Any other information which the Chief of Police shall find necessary to the enforcement of this chapter.
A. 
A permittee hereunder shall comply with all permit directions and conditions and with all applicable laws and ordinances.
B. 
No participant in a parade shall carry any baseball bat, club, stave or any other object which may be used as an offensive or defensive weapon.
The parade chairperson or other person heading or leading such activity shall carry the parade permit upon his/her person during the conduct of the parade.
A. 
Interference. No person shall unreasonably hamper, obstruct, impede or interfere with any parade, parade assembly or with any person, vehicle or animal participating or used in a parade.
B. 
Driving through parades. No driver of a vehicle shall drive between the vehicles or persons comprising a parade when the vehicles or persons are in motion and are conspicuously designated as a parade.
C. 
Parking on parade route. The Chief of Police shall have the authority, when reasonably necessary, to prohibit or restrict the parking of vehicles along a highway or part thereof constituting a part of the route of a parade. The Chief of Police shall post signs to that effect, and it shall be unlawful for any person to park or leave unattended any vehicle in violation thereof. No person shall be liable for parking on an unposted street in violation of this chapter.
The Chief of Police shall have the authority to revoke a parade permit issued hereunder upon application of the standards for issuance as herein set forth.