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, you must request a field or court for any formal use. Otherwise, our fields and courts are available to the public for informal use (pickup games). 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.

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.

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 the best time to request a field or court. Requests (for each of the respective periods) will not be accepted prior to the start date for a given request period.

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 and the process listed below.

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. The order of distribution of field permits, from highest to lowest priority, is as follows:

1. Field and court requests made by applicants who are part of a youth league
2. Field and court requests made by applicants who are part of an official school league
3. Field and court requests made by applicants who are returning customers
4. Field and court requests made by applicants who are applying within the optimal season request period
5. All other field and court requests

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 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.

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.

Visit our Fee Schedules page for pricing information for our adult permits. To promote and accommodate youth athletic opportunities, we do not charge a fee for youth athletic permits. The use of a youth athletic field permit for adult recreation is a serious violation of permit terms and will result in the revocation of your permit.

Required Documents

All permit requests should be prepared to submit insurance documentation (with NYC Parks as additional insured), 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.

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