Requesting a Field and Court Permit

Have a question about our athletic fields and courts? Find out more before you apply.

When to Apply

If you are a member of an organized league or group, or may be looking for uninterrupted play, you must request a field or court for any formal use. Otherwise, our fields and courts are available to the public for informal use when available. Please use the field and court availability map to determine available and non-permitted time on any field for pickup games or general play. If you would like to reserve a field or court in advance at a specific time, you should make a request to ensure your uninterrupted use of the field.

All athletic field and court users must adhere to the Guidelines for Use of Field and Court Space.

Choosing a Season & Applying For a Permit

We have established seasonal request periods to ensure that we process applications in advance of the start date for each season. Please review the chart below to find out when to request a field or court.

When You Want to Play	When to Apply
Spring and Summer: April 1 through August 31	Renewal Permits Applications: November 15 through December 14 New Permit Applications: December 30 through January 30 Remaining Application Period: March 1 through August 23
Fall: September 1 through November 30	Renewal Permits Applications: April 15 through May 14 New Permit Applications: May 30 through June 30 Remaining Application Period: August 1 through November 23
Winter: December 1 through March 31	Renewal Permits Applications: September 15 through October 14 New Permit Applications: October 21 through November 8 Remaining Application Period: November 18 through March 23

Renewal permit requests must be received by the end of the established renewal application period.

For new permit applications, please check the field and court availability map and look for timeslots that are listed as 'Available.' We often receive multiple applications for the same timeslot, so we will review your permit application and accommodate your request as best as we are able according to our rules.

Insurance

Permit applicants receiving more than 50 hours of permitted activity during any season are required to maintain commercial general liability insurance effective for the duration of the permitted time covering the events and use of the facility. The commercial general liability insurance must be in the organization and applicants name listed on permit.

General liability insurance must have minimum limits of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000) per occurrence and Two Million Dollars ($2,000,000) in aggregate, naming the City of New York, together with its officers, directors, and employees, as additional insureds.

Such permit applicants shall provide a certificate of insurance and notarized brokers certification form as well as and any other documents as reasonably required by the Department demonstrating the required commercial general liability insurance to the Department. These documents must be received and approved prior to issuance of any permits containing an applicant’s 51+ hours or more a season. The permit portal will restrict additional applications from being submitted until insurance requirements are met.

Athletic Permit Hourly Fees

Facility	Adult (when used by groups 18 years of age & over)	Youth (For-Profit) (when used by for-profit organizations serving groups 17 years of age & younger)
Synthetic Turf Fields (Large and/or Full Field)	$41.00 per hour	$15.00 per hour
Synthetic Turf Fields (Multipurpose)	$28.00 per hour	$10.00 per hour
Natural Fields	$24.00 per hour	$10.00 per hour
Hard Top Surfaces	$20.00 per hour	$5.00 per hour
Field Light Fee (to be added to field fee)	$15.00 per hour	$5.00 per hour

Accommodating Your Request

NYC Parks makes every effort to fairly accommodate as many requests for fields and courts as possible for each season. Because we receive thousands of requests, many for the same fields and times, we make every attempt to distribute permits equitably.

Priority Sports - Multipurpose Fields

Fields that are designed to host a variety of sports will be allocated as follows

During the spring/summer season, priority will be given to applications for bat and ball sports such as baseball and softball and including but not limited to cricket.
During the fall/winter seasons priority will be given to sports played on rectangular ballfields, such as football, lacrosse and soccer.

We may consider an out-of-season permit applications for ballfields that are designed to host a variety of sports (e.g., baseball in the fall, soccer in the spring), so long as there are no qualified applicants for the priority seasonal uses. Permit holders granted permits for out-of-season use will not be treated as a Returning Applicant should they apply the year following the issuance of an out-of-season permit. Once the season begins, and during the remaining application period, the priority sports rule will not apply and permits will be processed on a first come, first served basis in the order received.

Youth Leagues and Adult Leagues

Youth Leagues are sports leagues, including, but not limited to high school leagues, little leagues, community-based organization leagues, and unaffiliated leagues. A Youth permit refers to a category of applicants for and holders of permits for athletic activity with participants who are all 17 years old or younger. Youth permits also include school recreation programs (grade school through high school athletic programs) regardless of the age of the participants.

Adult Leagues are sports leagues, including, but not limited to community-based organization leagues, corporate leagues, independent leagues, and unaffiliated leagues. An adult permit refers to a category of applicants for and holders of permits for athletic activity with participants who are over the age of 18 and are not affiliated with a school program.

AED Requirements for Youth Baseball & Softball

The City of New York requires that all youth baseball and youth softball leagues playing on ballfields in City parks must have an AED device and a trained responder made available at every league game and practice. Youth baseball and youth softball leagues found to be in violation of this practice will be subject to warnings, fines, and denials of future permits. NYC Parks will provide AEDs and training to league officials. If you have already been given an AED unit, you must recertify your user agreement in advance of the upcoming youth baseball or softball season.

Organizations

Organization refers to any group, association, league, or company that submits a request on the Department’s website to be recognized as such by the Department and is approved as such by the Department. Approval is not guaranteed. Organizations may be required to submit documentation and information required by the Department before receiving approval, which may include, but will not be limited to, their website address, their bylaws, and their rosters and league schedule. Organizations may only have one authorized contact. Please allow up to two weeks for review.

Required Documents

All permit requests should be prepared to submit league schedules, participant rosters, program information, AED certifications or any other items needed from the borough permit office. Document requirements vary by permit. The borough permit coordinator will advise you of any documents needed.

Athletic Field Permits, Tennis Permits, and Special Event Permits

You should make an athletic field or court request if you are only looking to use the field or court for athletic activity. If you are planning a field day, birthday party or any other type of event that includes activities beyond the use of a field or court, please apply for a special event permit instead.

Tennis permits and skate parks have additional requirements. Tennis permits and renewals require a separate application. Visit our Tennis Permits and Renewals page to view and print tennis permit applications. Although permits are not necessary for use, most skate parks do require a signed liability waiver. Please check our Skate Parks page for details.

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