North Raleigh Today

Raleigh City Council has approved new and enhanced regulations for parades, allowing motorized vehicles to return to these events. Over the past year and a half, staff from the Office of Special Events and the City Attorney’s Office have reviewed potential changes and worked on crafting new parade safety requirements.

The updated requirements include several measures aimed at ensuring safety:

Parade organizers must screen entries by collecting:

- A valid driver’s license for the class of vehicle they wish to operate in the parade with no relevant moving violations.

- Evidence that an operator is trained to safely operate a specialty float and that the vehicle is appropriately rated to tow the assigned float.

- Proof of a recent (within 30 days of the event) vehicle safety check by a qualified mechanic familiar with that type of vehicle. The inspection must include operation of the vehicle’s brakes, tires, lights, horn, emissions, and current registration.

Additionally, parade organizers are required to conduct a risk assessment to identify risks most likely to occur or have the greatest impact on participants or spectators. They must also obtain an Operator Safety Acknowledgement from each driver.

Organizers will ensure every motorized vehicle included in the parade satisfies points of inspection in the Motorized Vehicle Inspections Checklist before leaving the staging area. Required meetings with participants prior to events are now mandatory, as well as submitting an official lineup of all parade entries to the city.

Staff conducted extensive benchmarking and connected with other cities and organizations across various regions to look at best practices. Meetings were held with several parade organizers for their input and recommendations, alongside reviewing public feedback through an online form.

"Our top priority is and has always been the health, safety, and welfare of our community," stated city officials. These new requirements take effect on June 25.