Howard County, MD Special Events & Permits: Block Party Permits (2026)

900(b) defines a block party as 'a party that is held outdoors for people who live in a neighborhood,' one of five categories of 'special event' regulated under Title 17, Subtitle 9, alongside athletic events, concerts, parades, and public assemblies. 901(a) only if the block party needs a public street, highway, or road closed, or needs authorized County employees to stop or reroute vehicular or pedestrian traffic; a party confined to a yard or driveway that does not affect a public street falls outside the requirement entirely.

Where a permit is required, the organizer files with the Department of Police at least 60 calendar days, and not more than one year, before the event, providing a name, address, and phone number, the number of security personnel to be supplied, and an electronically signed application made under penalty of a false-statement charge. 904(a), and can deny it if, among other reasons, the applicant has unpaid debts to the County, cannot safely control the anticipated crowd, or the County lacks the traffic or public-safety resources to support the event that day.

905(c)(1) directs the County to 'exempt an applicant for a parade or block party from paying a permit fee,' a break that concerts and street festivals do not receive. Permit holders must still keep the closed street free of debris, restore any damaged public property, and maintain a clear ten-foot emergency lane during the event.