District of Columbia Reviewers: FrancisScottKey 

This page was last update on 9/15/2022

Events

You must have permission to hold a public event anywhere in Washington DC.. If you wish to get permission remember that all parks in Washington DC are either managed by the National Park Service (NPS) or DC Parks. You must determine the proper authority to contact, then fill out the paperwork involved for the event you are going to host. All public gatherings must have permits since you could have more than 25 people. The written approval for the gathering must be properly documented to the cache page by scanning it or photographing it and attaching it to a reviewer note.

There is a $120 processing fee payment that is part of your application to even be considered by the NPS. The following is the place to stare for your permits. NPS and DC Police Department

If you choose any other location you must have permission of the property owner. You can consider a restaurant but you will have needed to contact them to make sure they can accommodate the event and provide that confirmation in the reviewer note as well.

CACHE HIDES

All National Park Service Areas are off limits without permission.

This includes virtual rewards and in some cases we may require virtual waypoints on cache listings to have this permission as well.

Rock Creek Park continues to be a difficult area to pinpoint at times.  Watch for it carefully.  There is a map linked from the NPS page right above the Quick Links.  Do not trust Google or Mapquest completely.  If in doubt, we will require that the cacher gain permission from the NPS.  The NPS has been annexing areas around the park.

Use caution and be aware of these areas:

The area west of the White House is a MAJOR area to be careful about.

The State Department between E Street to the north and Constitution to the south and between 23rd and 21st street (heavily guarded). 
The Department of the Interior is between 19th and 18th street.
Between them is Kelly Park (not NPS), but a cache there failed because that park is watched by the State Department.  Just avoid it period.

Moving to the east and working around The Mall... 

The IRS Building is on the north side of Constitution between 10th and 12th. 
The Department of Justice is just east of that between 9th and 10th.
The FBI Complex is directly north of the Dept. of Justice.

The Library of Congress and the US Supreme Court are just east of (behind) the Capital Dome, east side of The Mall. 

Just southeast of the the Washington Monument area is the US Mint complex (US Bureau of Engraving and Printing). 

And last but NOT LEAST...

I found a new mapping site that gives the building names for most buildings in DC.  Start here with the Washington Monument, then zoom in and out and scroll around as needed. Highly detailed and impressive.

And way to the east of the downtown area, but inside the Beltway still... 

The US National Arboretum is cache friendly, but make sure the user has permission.