Washington, DC Special Events & Permits: Parade Permits (2026)

C. 05, it is not a crime to parade or assemble without a permit, but a person or group that wants to hold a parade, march, rally, or similar First Amendment assembly on a District street, sidewalk, other public way, or in a District park must give notice and apply for approval of an assembly plan before the event. The law exempts three situations from the notice requirement: assemblies confined to sidewalks and crosswalks that do not block pedestrians, gatherings the organizer reasonably expects will draw fewer than 50 people and that will not occur on a street, and spontaneous demonstrations held in immediate response to a public event.

06, and no other District agency, including the Mayor's Special Events Task Group or the Department of Parks and Recreation, can require a separate approval. The Mayor is barred from charging user fees for organizing or holding a First Amendment assembly. Applications filed 60 or more days before the event date must receive final action at least 30 days before the assembly; MPD can still make reasonable route or location changes up to 10 days out for public safety reasons. Restrictions imposed on a plan must be reasonable time, place, and manner limits and cannot be based on the content of the views expressed or the appearance of participants.