Block Party Permits

A Block Party Permit is needed when the party host wants to close and barricade one single city block or street to host a gathering of residents of that block and the surrounding area.

If you are hosting your party entirely on private property and do not wish to close a city street, you do not need a Block Party Permit.

All parties must follow the guidelines in the Requirements tab, with the exception of barricades, regardless of the need for a permit.

Boulder’s city manager will make decisions on granting or denying this permit application based on criteria specified in Boulder Revised Code (BRC) 2-2-11 (b) (15) and including but not limited to the following:

• The block party host must be a resident of the block to be closed.
• The host must be at least 18 years of age (If requesting alcohol, the applicant must be 21 years of age).
• Block parties must be held between the hours of noon and 10 p.m., for no more than eight hours.
• Block parties are free events and cannot charge a cover or require a donation.
• Block parties are for residents of the immediate neighborhood and are not open to the general public. No more than 100 people may attend.
• Block parties may not be held on major roads or areas where safety is a concern.
• Barricades and marshals must be provided by the applicant.
  • Two “Type III (3)” barricades with Road Closed signs must be used to close the street; marshals (designated residents or someone hired to serve in that capacity) are required at the points of closure to answer questions, provide access to emergency vehicles and local residents, and maintain the barricades. Marshals must be 18 years of age or older and must not act as flaggers or traffic controllers.
  • Accommodation for emergency response must be provided at all times on closed streets. A 20-foot wide corridor must be maintained along the closure for emergency vehicles. Barricades must be movable to accommodate emergency access for police, fire and emergency medical services.
  • A popular City of Boulder asset is the Block Party trailer which houses a set of Road Closed barricades. In addition to the Block Party trailer, the city also provides a voucher for one additional set of barricades on a first-come-first served basis for those who apply for block party permits. If you are the first block party permit submitted for the weekend, you will be able to receive a voucher via email. We are grateful to Resource Central for this partnership and ask that you do not call Resource Central without a voucher in hand. They are not able to loan the barricades without a city-provided voucher.
  • If you do not get a voucher, the permit applicant will be responsible for obtaining a barricade rental outside of the city.
• Alcohol:
  • A block party permit does not allow for the sale, service or consumption of alcohol on public property. Alcohol is allowed only on private property unless otherwise requested by the applicant and specifically approved by the city. All state and city alcohol laws apply during block parties.
    • If an applicant would like to request permission to consume alcoholic beverages on public property within the street closure then the applicant needs to provide additional information to the city as requested. Permission to serve alcohol may or may not be granted at the city’s discretion in accordance with the BRC 5-7-2 and 5-7-5 .
• Mobile Food Vehicles (MFV's):
  • You are welcome to invite an MFV to your block party, as long as they have received a City of Boulder issued Mobile Food Vehicle license. If they do not currently have a license they can apply here (applications take at least four weeks to process.) For more information including a current list of licensed Mobile Food Vehicles, visit the Mobile Food Vehicle Licenses webpage.
• Amplification or live music
  • All block parties, regardless of permit needs, must comply with city noise ordinances. BRC 5-9-3 and 5-9-5 .
• Notification
  • A good faith effort must be made to gather the support of your neighbors and welcome their participation, as well as inform them of the street closure. We recommend you inform your neighbors through one or more of the methods below, no less than two weeks before the date of your event, with a reminder a few days before.
  • The city is not responsible for resolving disputes around the proposed block party date, time or location.
  • Examples of notification:
    • Phone calls
    • Email
    • Neighborhood Facebook page
    • Nextdoor.com or other social media
    • Flyer on doors or group mailboxes.
• Clean-up
  • The host is responsible for clean-up after the event. All debris and trash must be removed from the event site immediately after the event.

Permits may be denied for any reason deemed necessary by the city, particularly where public safety, police staffing and neighborhood concerns are identified. If the permit is denied, the City of Boulder assumes no liability for expenses incurred by the applicant.

• Block Party Permits do not qualify as party registration for University of Colorado Boulder students. Please see Off-Campus Housing for party registration.
• Block Party Permits do not grant exceptions to noise ordinance regulations.
• Block Party Permits do not grant permission for hosts to prevent people from traveling to and from their homes by vehicle.
  • Barricades must be staffed at all times to allow local residents to pass uninhibited (see requirements).