Clouds in the sky
Parks

Street Use Permit Downtown Zone Restrictions

Downtown Zone 

The Downtown Zone includes the core of the isthmus extending roughly from Blair to Park Streets, but excludes the Capitol Square, the 100 blocks off the square, and 200 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, where events are encouraged.

map of downtown Madison, WI, red shading outlines the downtown zone and a green square over the Capitol Square indicates excluded zone
Click image to enlarge.

Within this zone the following rules apply to events with a “traveling route” - runs, races, walks, marches, parades, processions or other event where people travel from one location to another or travel along a route that returns to the starting point, the following restrictions apply;

Weekdays

No full or partial closure, or removal of parking, for any arterial or collector street in the Downtown Zone any weekday, Monday through Friday.

Weekends

Arterial or collector streets may only be closed on a weekend as follows:

Start Time

  • Saturday - traveling route must start by 8:00AM 
  • Sunday - traveling route must start by 9:00AM or after 3:00PM, with no street closure of any street in the Downtown Zone before 3:00PM, including for set-up. 
  • Exceptions to Saturday/Sunday Start Times.
    • Events that obey traffic signals and have the capacity to control participants to safely allow motor vehicle traffic to cross on arterials/collectors, and
    • City-sponsored events, defined as an event where the City of Madison or a department or agency thereof is the applicant, or an event for which the City has a contractual relationship that directly supports the event in question.

200-600 State St.

No permit shall be issued for a closure of any part of the 200 thru 600 blocks of State Street (West Dayton Street to North Lake Street) at any time on weekdays, Monday through Friday. 

However, an event that stays on sidewalks and whose participants obey all traffic signals is not considered a "closure" and not subject to this subsection. Any permit to close any part of State Street shall not include the closing of the cross streets of Gorham Street, Johnson Street and Dayton-Fairchild Streets unless there is a Traffic Management plan approved by Traffic Engineering and Madison Police.

Was this page helpful to you? * required