Skateboarding rules, for watching
Start with how a match works. Then the rules you see every few minutes, then the ones that change results.
Settling an argument? Search all 12 rules
- What is the difference between street and park skateboarding?
- How is skateboarding scored?
- What are skateboarding judges looking for in a run?
- How does a skateboarding competition progress from qualifier to final?
- How does a park skateboarding contest work?
- How does a street skateboarding final work?
- Can a skater repeat a trick or turn down a score in the trick section?
- What happens when a skater falls, or when time runs out mid-trick?
- Do skateboarders have to wear helmets in competition, and how old must they be?
- Can a skater have another go if something goes wrong that is not their fault?
- What do DNS, DSQ and DQB mean in skateboarding results?
- What happens if two skateboarders finish on the same score?
Where these rules come from
| Tag | Document |
|---|---|
| WSK Rules plus section name | World Skate Skateboarding Technical Commission, Street & Park Competition Rules, updated April 2025. The document has no article numbers, so tags name the section. Read for this set: Definitions, Athletes' responsibilities, Safety, Technical Specifications, Pre-Competition Procedures, Competition Formats, Seeding Order, Scoring Process Regulations, Timekeeping, Competition-Related Procedures and Situations, Irregular Results Marks, the Re-start and Re-run Request, the Scoring Refusal Rule and the start of the contingency protocol |
| WSK JC plus section number | World Skate, Skateboarding Judging Criteria, Release 1.0 - 2025, updated May 2025 (street and park, Los Angeles cycle). Read in full |
| R | "Why the rule exists", or a point reasoned from the rule, not stated in it |
| C | Common usage or general knowledge, not a rule |
All checked on 14 October 2026.
One set for street and park. The founder's list names skateboarding without sub-types, and the two disciplines share one rule book and one set of judging criteria. The first and third files apply to both. The second file has one rule for park, two for street and one for both. If the founder would sooner have two sub-types, the split is clean.
The rules name no tricks. Trick names on the pages (kickflip, grind and so on) are illustrations from the glossary, marked C.
Not covered: the Olympic qualification system and the format used at the Games; athlete eligibility, nationality and national team rules; the officials' duties; the clarification request protocol; the concussion protocol; the event schedule statuses and the contingency protocol beyond a mention; vert and other forms of skateboarding.
Not covered: the Olympic qualification system and the format used at the Games; athlete eligibility, nationality and national team rules; the officials' duties; the clarification request protocol; the concussion protocol; the event schedule statuses and the contingency protocol beyond a mention; vert and other forms of skateboarding.