Permits

​Closings, Street Use & Special Events

Sometimes the City must close street lanes or all access to certain roads. This may be necessary for maintenance and repair work, winter weather or other hazardous conditions, or improvements to the infrastructure. Parades, festivals and other special events may also affect street closings. When closures are necessary, CDOT makes every effort to coordinate work to minimize impact to motorists, pedestrians and area businesses and close for the least amount of time. Notices are sent to the media and public as requested and also published on this website.​

Application for Special Events, Parades and Festivals  

Street Use and Event Notice (SUN)​

Race Sign Specifications

Beer and Wine Permits
A permit from the Charlotte Department of Transportation is required to temporarily close a street, or a portion thereof for a community sponsored event at which beer and wine is to be sold, distributed or consumed on the streets, sidewalks and public areas. Due to sizable insurance requirements most applications are for major events

If your plans include alcoholic beverages, view the City Beer-Wine Permit Application or call CDOT at 704-336-5531.
 

If an Alcohol Permit is needed for a private event such as a wedding reception, please call the Alcohol Beverage Commission in Raleigh, NC at 919-779-0700 or visit http://abc.nc.gov/Permit. 

​Neighborhoods

​Citizens may petition for a temporary street/block closing for community functions such as block parties or neighborhood festivals. The City welcomes such activities and CDOT is prepared to assist.

If interested, take the following steps:

  1. Plan your activity in advance. Street closings require a completed petition at least 30 DAYS prior to an event.
  2. Read the Neighborhood Block Closing Regulations
  3. Print the Neighborhood Block Party Request
  4. Complete the petition form by acquiring signatures from 75% of the residents on the affected portion of the street being closed and return it to CDOT. Fax the form and petition to CDOT at 704-632-8140 or mail to the address below. 
  5. A representative from the Public Service & Communications Division will contact you when your permit is approved, and will help guide you as to where to close your street and what equipment to use. The City does not provide barricades to block streets. Residents are required to provide their own barricades.
  6. Remember that streets must be closed from block (cross street) to block (cross street). For instance, you cannot block off a portion of a street in front of only a few homes.

CDOT
Public Service & Communications Division
600 E. Fourth Street
Charlotte, NC 28202

We hope your event is a big success! Remember plan early and contact CDOT's Public Service & Communications Division for the required paperwork.

The City of Charlotte implemented a Decorative Sign (Banner) Ordinance in July 2011.  To display a decorative sign, please do the following:

If interested in displaying a decorative sign in the Uptown area, Charlotte Center City Partners coordinates this effort.  Apply here.

Decorative sign means a pictorial representation, including illustrations, words, numbers, or decorations; emblem; flag; banner; pennant, that promotes or celebrates the city, its neighborhoods, civic institutions, or public activities and events in the city.  Decorative signs may either be designed and displayed by the City directly or donated to the City on a permanent basis or for a limited period of time. 

Submit the Fence and Wall Certificate Application along with a drawing of the location as described below. An application cannot be processed without an attached drawing.

Department of Transportation
600 East Fourth Street
Charlotte, N.C. 28202
Telephone: 704-336-4119
Fax: 704-632-8140

Application Instructions
Location of Fence or Wall: Provide street name, street address and intersecting street name (if corner location). Please include an engineering scaled drawing (1"-20', 30', 40' or 50'). Also, include:

  • Property lines
  • Location of existing curb, gutter and sidewalk, or edge of pavement/ditch line
  • Location of fence or wall (dimension from right-of-way)
  • Driveway(s)
  • Street name(s)
  • North arrow

Fence or Wall Description/Type: Please provide information concerning the type of construction and design details including:

  • Construction material (brick, wood, etc.)
  • Length, width and height dimensions
  • Foundation/footing details

NOTE: Any signs which are attached to or designed/constructed as part of the fence or wall must be in compliance with the Sign Ordinance of the Charlotte City Code.

Owner: The property owner should be self-explanatory. The applicant may be either the owner or the fence/wall contractor (as agents for the owner).

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Building Standards: The Fence and Wall Certificate is not intended to relieve the applicant of his responsibility to also secure any and all permits required for the construction of the fence/wall by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Building Standards Department. These additional permits include but are not limited to:

  • A Building Permit for the construction of a fence or wall over six feet in height.
  • A Sign Permit for any sign which is attached to or constructed as part of a fence or wall. All signs must comply with the Sign Ordinance of the Charlotte City Code.

Section 19-4 of the City Code requires that:

"Any person building or about to build any house, building, fence or wall or construct any sidewalk or pavement along the border or bounding on any of the streets or sidewalks of the City shall have the same located and graded and boundaries thereof adjoining such street or streets, fixed and certified to by the Director of the Charlotte Department of Transportation.

A fence or wall herein described cannot exceed height restriction as provided in the zoning ordinance or within required sight distance triangles at intersections (Section 14-16). And if any person shall construct any house, building, fence, wall, sidewalk or pavement as aforesaid, they shall be subject to punishment as provided in Section 1-7 of this Code for each and every offense; provided, however, that in such case as aforesaid the Director of the Charlotte Department of Transportation shall be paid for his services by the party so building or constructing a reasonable fee in accordance with a fee schedule established by the City Manager."

Citizens may request that the names of streets within the Charlotte City Limits be changed. A petition of 75% of the property owners on the street will be required for non-agency/departmental requests.

The petition form will be sent to the citizen making the request as soon as the recommended name is reviewed to make sure it is not a duplication or a prohibited name.

Guidelines for Street Names

  • Name plus two-letter type (Rd, St, Ln, etc) cannot exceed 21 letters
  • Name should include a roadway type
  • No directional prefixes or suffixes (N, S, E W)
  • No duplication. For example, Parsons Dr., when there is already a Parsons Rd., is not permissible, but Parsons Hill Rd would be acceptable.
  • Street names involving a full name of an individual are discouraged where the individual's last name only is an available name
  • A full continuous street name along the length of a street is encouraged. This discourages the Morehead-Queens- Providence situation.
  • Possibly offensive names are not permitted
  • No business names
  • No punctuation