Alexandria, VA Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Boundary
- 100 blocks N. Royal & N. Fairfax St.
- Prohibited devices
- skateboards, mopeds, bicycles, micromobility
- Also banned
- motor vehicles, headset-free sound devices
- Default penalty (§ 1-1-7)
- up to $2,500 fine / 12 months
- Exemption
- city employees on official duty
Summary
Riding a skateboard, moped, bicycle or other micromobility device anywhere in Alexandria's Market Square is unlawful under City Code § 6-1-4. The plaza, bounded by King Street, City Hall and the 100 blocks of North Royal and North Fairfax Streets, also bans motor vehicles, headset-free music and damaging city property.
It shall be unlawful for any person to ride any moped, skateboard, bicycle, or micromobility device, as defined in section 10-1-1 of this code, or to use or operate any motor vehicle, as defined in section 46.1-1, Code of Virginia (1950), as amended, or for any person to willfully or maliciously injure or deface any real or personal property of the city or property lawfully on display or loaned to the city; or to play any portable radio, tape player or other electronic sound-producing device without the use of individual headsets or earphones that limit the sound produced to the individual user at any place within the city's public area known as Market Square, which square lies between the 100 blocks of North Royal and North Fairfax Streets, bounded on the south side by King Street and on the north by city hall; provided further, that this section shall not be construed to prohibit public employees or their duly authorized agents from using or operating motor vehicles in Market Square in the performance of their duties.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 156 | Zoning: Supplement 103).
Full Breakdown
Section 6-1-4(a) bars riding any moped, skateboard, bicycle or micromobility device, using or operating a motor vehicle, willfully or maliciously damaging or defacing city property or property on display or loaned to the city, or playing a portable radio, tape player or other sound-producing device without individual headsets, anywhere within Market Square, the public plaza between the 100 blocks of North Royal and North Fairfax Streets, bounded south by King Street and north by City Hall. Public employees and their authorized agents are exempted when using or operating motor vehicles in the course of their duties.
Subsection (b) authorizes the city manager to issue rules and regulations for governing and protecting Market Square consistent with the section's intent. A companion provision, § 6-1-6, extends the identical list of prohibited conduct, including skateboarding, to the city's nearby waterfront open space along the Potomac River near North Union Street and Thompson's Alley. Section 6-1-4 does not set its own fine, so a violation falls back to the code's general penalty at § 1-1-7, which applies whenever a city ordinance declares an act unlawful without specifying its own punishment.
Violations & Fines
Because § 6-1-4 sets no fine of its own, a violation is punished under the general penalty in § 1-1-7: a fine of up to $2,500, imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both, with each day a violation continues treated as a separate offense. City police and code enforcement staff can cite riders on sight for skateboarding, biking or riding a moped anywhere within Market Square's posted boundaries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I skateboard through Market Square in Alexandria?
What's the penalty for skateboarding in Market Square?
Does the skateboard ban apply anywhere else in Alexandria besides Market Square?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alexandria
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