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

Section 5.46.025 lists the activities exempt from Marysville's special event permit chapter, and subsection (2)(j) covers block parties "located entirely on private property when not requesting a street closure, and not inviting others from outside the neighborhood." Even an exempt block party isn't free of oversight: § 5.46.025(1) requires the organizer to "comply with all local, state and federal laws and regulations governing public safety or health" regardless of the permit exemption.

Once a block party wants a street closed to traffic, it drops out of the exemption and becomes a regular special event under § 5.46.020, which requires a permit from the city before the event happens. Because it involves a street closure, § 5.46.040(2) sends the application to the city council rather than letting city staff approve it administratively. The organizer must apply to the community development director at least 60 days ahead (§ 5.46.030(1)), pay a $100 nonrefundable fee (§ 5.46.050), contract with the Marysville police and public works departments for traffic control (§ 5.46.060(2)), and carry $1,000,000 per-occurrence, $2,000,000 aggregate liability insurance naming the city as additional insured (§ 5.46.070). The application itself must describe the exact street segment, the proposed closure times, alternate routes, and the number of monitors needed to manage traffic and pedestrians (§ 5.46.030(3)).

A block party permit can be denied if the closure would disrupt traffic beyond a practical solution or block emergency access under § 5.46.080(1)-(3), and any denial can be appealed in writing to the city council within seven calendar days under § 5.46.090.