Welcome to the Official Web Site of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana

You must submit a Special Event Permit application to the Special Events office  60 days prior to your event. You may submit the application online, by fax, or mail. We will process the application, and obtain approval for the event to occur from the relevant City departments, such as the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The length of time it takes to approve events depends on several factors such as the size and scope of the event, the volume of applications being processed, and so on. When the event has been approved, you will receive the Special Event Permit via email, fax, or US mail.  The permit must then be displayed in a prominent location during your event.  Please note that we do not issue permits more than 30 days before an event.

Block Party

In order to close off the street/s for your block party, you will need to:

Apply for a Special Event Permit at least 2 weeks in advance.  You may apply online by clicking here. 

Let your neighbors know of your plans.  Be sure to tell everyone who will be affected by the street closure at least two weeks in advance.  Notifying your neighbors in writing, such as a flyer distributed door-to-door, is often the best way to accomplish this.  We also need signatures of 60% of the residents/businesses that are affected by the closure before the permit can be issued.  Click here to print the signature page that must be returned to the Special Events office before the permit can be issued.  You can fax the form to 327-8294 or scan and email it to dmillike@indy.gov

Contact the Department of Public Works to reserve state-approved barricades to block off the street.  Barricades are available from the City free of charge for public, not-for-profit events.  You must pick them up and return them to the DPW at 1725 S. West St, building #4, between 7:00a-3:00p Mon-Fri; they do not deliver the barricades, which are 12 feet long and will fit in a standard pickup truck, but not a car.  Please send an e-mail to Steve Pruitt at spruitt@indy.gov  to reserve barricades for your block party, and please be sure to take a copy of the permit that the Special Events Office will issue to you when you go to pick up the barricades.

 

Permit Fee

There is a $25 fee for each special event permit that is issued where the event is outdoors, open to the public, and using/closing City streets, with the exception of neighborhood block parties, which will remain free of charge.  If your event requires Indianapolis Fire Department resources, there is an additional $100 fee.  Fess must be paid before the permit can be issued.
 
 
Large Events

If you expect more than 1,000 people to attend your event, you must provide the following information: a public safety contact person (which must be an Indiana Law Enforcement Academy certified officer), medical assistance information, insurance information, public amenities information, and clean-up plan.  Please do not list the person(s) who are organizing the event as your safety contact.  The public safety contact should be a certified law enforcement officer through the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.   If you need assistance in finding an officer, you may call Captain Mike Bates at 327-6528 or email him at B3214@indy.gov
 
 
Event Address

It is important that you include an Event Address on your application. Our permit system will not allow us to issue a permit without an Event Address.
 
 
Area to Be Closed

When listing the area to be closed, you should list the name of the street and/or sidewalk to be closed, between "ABC St." and "XYZ St."

Example: "Pennsylvania St, between St. Clair and Vermont St."

Don't forget to list the dates and times for closure.
 
  
 
Parking Meter Blockage

You must provide the numbers off the parking meter heads, such as EW 101-105 odd (to use East Washington Street meters 101, 103, and 105.) There is a charge of $15.00 per meter per weekday to block the meters anytime between the hours of 7:00am and 6:00pm. There is no charge for weekends or holidays. If you block meters on a weekday, you will receive an invoice from the Special Events office, and the fees must be paid before the permit is issued.  If your organization is a not-for-profit group, you may submit a letter of waiver request. This letter will be presented to the Department of Public Works Board, which will determine if the parking meter fees are to be waived.
 
 
Food

If food will be served at your event, please contact the Marion County Health Department. The contact person is Kelli Whiting, 317-221-2256, kwhiting@hhcorp.org, and her fax number is 317-221-3070.  The forms you will need can be found at www.mchd.com/fdevents_new.htm
 
 
Alcohol

 

If alcohol will be served at your event, you will need to contact the Indiana State Excise Police.
Phone:  317-293-2437

Fax:  317-293-9112                                                          
Website: http://www.in.gov/atc/2460.htm

Fire Marshal/Fire Prevention

If there will be any bands/outdoor entertainment, etc, please be sure to contact the Indiana State Fire Marshal's office for an entertainment permit, 317-232-2318. You can find the permit here.

If you wish to have fireworks at your event, you must first obtain a Fireworks Display Permit application from the Indiana State Fire Marshal's office and obtain approval from the Indianapolis Fire Department at 317-327-6006. Once complete, return the application to the Fire Marshal for license. Find the application here.

The Indianapolis Fire Dept Fire Prevention Office (317-327-6006) must be notified and an inspection performed prior to the event opening for any of the following activities:

Fireworks indoor or outdoor

Cooking under tents

Street or Alley closure

Carnivals and Fairs

Events hosting 500 or more people

Bonfires

Haunted Houses

Car Shows

Mazes

Fire Department

If your event requires Indianapolis Fire Department Resources, contact us at http://www.indy.gov/eGov/City/DPS/IFD/About/Pages/Special_Events_Request_Form.aspx

 or call:

Fire Prevention – Asst Director Capt. Fred Pervine at 317-327-6096

Indianapolis Fire Department resource availability is at the discretion of the Fire Chief and availability may change at any time.

Clean-Up Information

You must provide a clean-up contact person's name and telephone number for all events. For large events (over 1,000 attendees) a clean-up plan must also be submitted. If additional cleanup by the Department of Public Works staff is necessary after the event, the event organizer will be billed for this service.

Trash boxes are available for purchase from the Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc. office.

Trash boxes cost $3.50 each and measure 19" X 19" X 30". Payment is expected at time of pick-up. They accept checks, Visa, MasterCard and cash. Have exact change, as they do not have cash to make change.

Please contact Laura Fox, lfox@kibi.org or 317-264-7555 ext. 100, to make an appointment to purchase your trash boxes or if you have any questions.

Boxes are sponsored by Keep Indianapolis Beautiful and WTHR Channel 13. Boxes do not have liners. We recommend that you purchase 55-gallon trash bags to line the boxes. Boxes will be given to you flat. This makes them easy to load into a car or truck.

Recycling Collection Bins for Your Event

Through a generous donation from Alcoa, KIB has portable recycling collection bins (called ClearStreams), to loan organizations wishing to offer recycling at community events. These bins are extremely lightweight, portable and easily identified as NOT a trash receptacle!