Know The Terrain
Protest Jurisdictions in Washington, DC
Most protests in Washington, DC will fall on one of three primary jurisdictions:
Washington, DC/Metropolitan Police Department
US Park Police
US Capitol Police
An important note on permitting: If you are planning an event that starts in one jurisdiction and crosses over to another jurisdiction (ie. a rally starting at a park controlled by the National Park Service followed by a march to another location) you’ll need to get separate permits from each jurisdiction.
Information we are sharing here on permitting and regulations comes from the websites and manuals of each of the permitting and policing jurisdictions and can change from time to time. We’ll do our best to link back to each agency’s website so you can make sure you’re looking at the most up-to-date information. Information we’re sharing on how different police agencies respond to protests is based on our experience with hundreds of protests in DC over the past several years. This also changes from time-to-time and police responses can vary dramatically based on other security events happening in the area, the general attitudes and moods of responding officers, and the biases that those officers hold and the relative privilege that people taking action carry.