Polk County, FL Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

The rule appears twice in the County Parks rules of Sec. 6-16, both adopted by Ordinance No. 14-065, Sec. 2, effective November 4, 2014. Sec. 6-16(13), 'Regulated park activities,' opens by letting the Division restrict any activity it deems inappropriate for a given facility, such as golfing on athletic fields or paintball, unless the Division designates or authorizes it. ,' then bars rough or potentially dangerous games, naming football, softball, skateboarding, horseshoes, golf, lacrosse, soccer, cricket, rugby, tennis, volleyball, and badminton alongside any other game or exercise involving thrown or propelled objects such as balls, stones, arrows, javelins, or shuttlecocks, except in areas the Division has specifically designated and set aside for that recreation.

Separately, Sec. 6-16(5), covering bicycles, scooters, dirt bikes, ATVs, skateboards, and roller skates, permits non-motorized vehicles including skateboards and rollerblades everywhere in a park except in or around structures, spectator areas, or wherever their use creates a safety hazard, unless the Division authorizes otherwise. Read together, the two clauses put skateboarding off-limits near buildings, bleachers, and crowds at all times, and off-limits everywhere else in a park unless the specific area has been designated for that kind of recreational or athletic use. Neither clause imposes a park-wide outright ban; both route skateboarders toward Division-designated areas. Enforcement runs through Sec. 6-17, covering code enforcement officers, law enforcement officers, and Division employees.