Athletic Fields & Courts

1. Athletic Fields

More than 100 athletic fields are available for a variety of uses including lacrosse, rugby, tennis, baseball, softball, soccer, football, ultimate frisbee, kickball and more. Tournaments and leagues are welcome.

Field dimensions and amenities can be found in the seasonal field inventory lists linked in the following sections, along with more details about each athletic permit season.

Athletic Fields Season Timeline:

  • Winter 2023-24: November 6 - March 15
  • Spring/Summer 2024: March 16 – August 4
  • Fall 2024: August 5 - November 3

Spring/Summer

Spring/Summer Timeline: March 16 – August 4

Fall 2024

2024 Fall Season: August 4 - November 3

Details scheduled to be posted June 3, 2024.

Winter 2024/25

Winter season is November 4, 2024 - March 14, 2025. Details scheduled to be posted Sept. 16, 2024.

 

2. Courts 

  • Tennis Court permits are ONLY issued for the following types of play and tournaments:
    • Tennis practice
    • Tennis league and pickup games
    • Tennis lessons

All other permits obtained will be automatically canceled (i.e. birthday parties/non-tennis or pickleball play on courts) and refunded.

United States Tennis Association (USTA) sanctioned organizations for league and tournament play only will have first priority for court reservations. Authorized Agents of USTA/CTA organizations should be the only members making reservations. Event names must include type of League play (I.e., USTA Mixed 18 & over). Non-USTA/CTA members can make reservations the following week.

If a permit is obtained by a non-USTA/CTA organization ahead of their designated reservation date, the permit will be cancelled, and permit fees will be automatically refunded to the card used for payment.

If you are unsure whether you qualify for the first round of permitting, please contact the Parks Permit Office prior to requesting (park.permits@denvergov.org or 720.913.0700).

All court users, with or without a permit, must adhere to the court rules posted at each facility. One drop-in court will remain open for drop-in users at all times and when others are waiting, please play to permitted time only.  

View Spring/Summer Tennis Court Inventory(PDF, 130KB)

To ensure you are on the correctly permitted court, please reference tennis court maps.(PDF, 4MB)

Court Permit Seasons

Courts are available to permit for three seasons. All requests can be made online, beginning at 8:00 a.m. 

Please review the 2024 Tennis Court Timeline for applicable dates.(PDF, 119KB)  

Tennis Court Lights

Most court lights are operational March – October, 5:00am – 11:00pm. Year-round court lights are operational at the following locations only:

  • Bear Valley Park
  • Berkeley Lake Park
  • Bible Park
  • City Park
  • Parkfield Lake Park
  • Washington Park

Pickleball and Futsal

At this time, all pickleball and futsal courts are available for drop-in use only. 

3. Tournaments

Applications for Public Events, Special Occasions, and Tournaments will be accepted via email to park.permits@denvergov.org beginning at 8:00 a.m. on April 8 for activities held June 8 or later only, as the department works to hire seasonal park staff.

Tournament applications must be turned in at least 30 days in advance and will have additional permit requirements.

Download a permit application

Tournament Payment Terms(PDF, 189KB)

Tournament Cancelation Procedure(PDF, 185KB)

A Tournament is defined as an athletic/sports competition which meets the criteria listed. End of league/season tournaments may be considered a tournament, for permitting purposes, and not a continuation of league play.

A Tournament includes:

  • Athletic/sports competition
  • Bracketed or pool play (or other typical tournament format) designed to determine a winner(s) 
  • Open to the general public to participate/spectate
  • Collection of fees prior to and/or day of event for participants and/or spectators
  • Requires exclusive use of athletic fields/complexes
  • Event infrastructure that includes tents, tables, chairs, goods and services vending, food and beverage sales/service, vendors, and/or sponsors

Parks Permitting will make the final determination as to the classification of the activity.  Tournaments are classified as “athletic” permits.  Tournament permits must be secured following the established athletic permit schedule, per season. Tournament fees will apply.   

4. Requirements, Fees & Policies

Field reservation requests can also be made online (requires 3 business days to process). Review instructions on how to check field/court availability and make a reservation online.(PDF, 385KB) 

2024 Permit Fee Sheet

New athletic field permit fees, effective as of the 2024 Spring Season:

Field Type  Youth (18 & under) Adults
 Grass/Skin fields $10 per hour, per field $35 per hour, per field
Synthetic fields (for profit) $50 per hour, per field $100 per hour, per field
Synthetic fields (nonprofit) $25 per hour, per field $50 per hour, per field
Major ballfield $25 per hour, per field $50 per hour, per field

Major Ballfields

Baseball:

  • Argo BB1 (youth only)
  • Barnum east BB1 & 2
  • Garland BB2
  • Jackie Robinson Park BB1
  • Lincoln/La Alma

Softball:

  • Barnum North SB1&2
  • Garland SB1
  • Jackie Robinson SB 1, 2 & 3,
  • Kennedy SB 1-8
  • Lawson SB1
  • Lowry SB1
  • Montbello Central SB 1 & 2
  • Parkfield SB2
  • Ruby Hill SB 2 & 3
  • Rude SB1
  • Valverde SB 14
  • Vanderbilt SB 1 & 2
  • Veterans SB 1

Please note:

  • Tournaments: There will no longer be a separate tournament permit fee. Tournament permit fees will follow the updated hourly permit fees in addition to any other fees that may apply
  • Volleyball: There will no longer be a seasonal permit fee. Volleyball permit fees will follow the hourly grass field permit fees outlined above

Permit Requirements:

Athletic Permit Policy

The athletic permit policy went into effect spring 2019. 

Read the policy(PDF, 772KB) 

The intent of the policy is to:

  • Organize processes related to how athletic permits are fulfilled & requests are prioritized
  • Clearly state regulations and allowable use for permittees, permittable hours/dates, along with consequences for policy violations

Read Frequently Asked Questions about the policy.(PDF, 183KB)

Appeals

Rights of Appeal: You have the right to request a hearing to review issuance of the Administrative Citation by filing a Petition for Review with the Executive Director of Parks & Recreation along with the payment to the “Manager of Finance” of a nonrefundable $25.00 filing fee as specified in the Rules and Regulations Governing Hearings.  A Petition must be received by the Director of Parks & Recreation within (15) days after service of the Citation at the following address:

Executive Director of Parks & Recreation
201 W. Colfax Dept 601
Denver, CO 80202

The Petition must contain the information required as provided in the Rules and Regulation Governing the Use of Administrative Citations(PDF, 7MB) for the Enforcement of Article 1 Chapter 39 of the DRMC. Learn more about citations and appeals.

Appeal of Revocation of Permit for current season, Revocation or Loss of Historical Priority for the permit, and Loss of Future Permitting Privileges:

Rights of Appeal: A permit holder for an Athletic Field Permit has the right to appeal a revocation of the permit for the current season, revocation of loss of historical priority for the permit, and the loss of future permitting privileges.

How made: Appeal shall be made by submitting a written appeal to the Executive Director of Parks & Recreation stating the basis for the appeal and the requested relief. Such appeal must be received by the office of the Executive Director of Parks and Recreation no later than (5) business days after the date written notice is issued by the Parks Permit Office of an action which is appealable under this Policy.  Please send written appeals to:

Executive Director of Parks & Recreation
201 W Colfax Ave. Dept. 601
Denver, CO 80202

Or email to: ParksRec-Manager@denvergov.org

Decision and Notice: After review of the written appeal and consultation with the Parks Permit Office, other Department representatives, and other City Agencies as appropriate, the Executive Director will issue a written decision granting the appeal, granting the appeal with conditions, or denying the appeal. The decision of the Executive Director shall be the final administrative decision.

5. Permit Holder Resources

Online Service Center

Athletic fields and court permits can be managed in DPR's online service center. Read instructions on how to check field availability and make a request.

 

Weather Hotline

Call the Ballfield Weather Hotline for closure updates:
720-865-6978  

Contact Us

Parks Permit Office:
6820 E. 12thAve
Denver, CO 80220

Office Hours

  • Mon & Fri:
    Available via phone and email only
    8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
  • Tue, Wed, Thurs:
    Open for in-person appointments
    8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Email: park.permits@denvergov.org
Phone: 720-913-0700
(press 6 to leave a message)

Park Road Closures

Parking lot and road closures have been implemented in several parks to allow more room for physical distancing. View additional operational updates for more details about potential impacts. 

Related Information

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