Bellevue, WA Special Events & Permits: Block Party Permits (2026)

080 authorizes the traffic engineer to issue special permits closing any city street or traffic lane to vehicle traffic, subject to whatever terms and conditions the permit sets, which is the provision residents use to close a street for a block party or similar neighborhood event. The statute caps how long a single permit can run: no permit is valid for more than seven consecutive days, so a closure has to be renewed or reissued for anything longer. City employees acting in the normal course of business do not need a permit at all.

Once a closure is authorized, the traffic engineer has authority to place signs or devices in the roadway marking it, and once those signs or devices are up, no person may drive a vehicle on the closed street or portion of it except operators with business in the closed area or residents of it, and even they must exercise the greatest care while driving there. The section closes with a direct penalty clause: it is unlawful for a permittee or anyone else to violate any special term or condition of the permit, which covers both the applicant who exceeds the closure's stated hours or footprint and third parties who drive through a properly closed and signed street.

090, which lets the traffic engineer issue separate permits for curb loading zones to a property owner, lessee, or vehicle owner, useful for staging or vendor loading tied to the same event.