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1. What is a proclamation?

A proclamation is an official document issued by the Mayor to commemorate a specific time period (ex. day, week, or month). It brings recognition or awareness to an issue, cause, milestone, or noteworthy event that is relevant and important to Durham. Proclamations are strictly honorary and not legally binding.

2. What are the guidelines to request a proclamation?

• Requests should be received two weeks before the requested date and may be rejected if they are not received sooner.
• Proclamations must hold citywide importance or serve an educational purpose for a significant number of Durham residents.
• Proclamations will not be repeated within a calendar year. Requests that are considered redundant will be declined, and a copy of the original proclamation may be provided instead.
• Proclamations may not be issued for individuals, birthdays, retirements, weddings, anniversaries, church events, conferences, meetings, or businesses – you may request a letter for these occasions. 
• Proclamations may not be used for advertisement or commercial promotion.
• Issuance of a proclamation does not indicate or imply a policy endorsement from the Mayor.
• Any draft language provided may be edited or rewritten at the judgment of the Mayor’s Office. Draft language submitted should be factually accurate and include up-to-date information.
• Requests for proclamations are not renewed annually and must be submitted each year. Proclamations are issued only upon request, so if a proclamation is important to you or your organization, please request it. 

3. Who can make a proclamation request?

Anyone may make a proclamation request, however, proclamations must have a direct relationship to Durham City/County residents, events, achievements, services or noteworthy causes. The decision to issue a proclamation is done completely at the discretion of the Mayor, and he or she reserves the right to deny requests for proclamations at any time.

4. How should a proclamation request be made?

Complete the Proclamation Request Form. Please include a working telephone number where you can be reached for possible questions or details regarding the information you have provided.

Requests can also be mailed or hand-delivered to:

Administrative Specialist, 101 City Hall Plaza, Suite 2400, Durham, NC 27701

 NOTE: Because of the large volume of requests, we cannot honor phone requests.

To follow up on a proclamation request, you can reach us at 919-560-4333.