Washington, DC Public Conduct: Skateboarding Rules (2026)

C. Code § 50-1651 makes it unlawful for any person under 16 years of age to ride roller skates, a skateboard, sled, coaster, toy vehicle, sidewalk bicycle, scooter, or any similar device without wearing a protective helmet of good fit, fastened securely upon the head with the straps of the helmet. The duty to comply and the liability for a violation fall on the parent or legal guardian rather than the child: subsection (b) makes the parent or legal guardian of any child under 16 found in violation liable for a fine of $25.

The District builds in two off-ramps that keep the law from simply punishing families who lack a helmet: the fine is suspended automatically for first-time violators, and it is suspended for any violator who, after being cited but before the fine is due, purchases a qualifying helmet and provides proof of the purchase. Subsection (c) regulates the helmet itself, not just the rider: any helmet offered for sale or rent for use by an operator or passenger of the listed devices must meet or exceed the impact standards for protective bicycle helmets set by the American National Standards Institute, the Snell Memorial Foundation's standards for protective headgear, or the American Society for Testing and Materials standards for bicycling, so a retailer stocking novelty helmets without one of those ratings is out of compliance even before any rider is cited.

C. Code § 50-1652, delayed enforcement of the § 50-1651(b) fine for 90 days after the law's March 16, 2005 effective date, a grace period that has long since expired, so the fine has been fully enforceable for two decades. Nothing in § 50-1651 sets a minimum age for riding a skateboard on a sidewalk or in a business district and nothing in the statute bans skateboarding from any particular street or plaza; the operative District rule is the helmet mandate itself, tied to the rider's age rather than to location.