The policy, as written
NLC publishes the Congressional City Conference cancellation terms on its rates page. All requests go in writing to nlc@maritz.com by February 20 and carry a $125 cancellation fee. The page refuses registrations and cancellations by phone. It makes no partial refund for a function a registrant skips. It accepts no cancellation after February 20.
The next sentence protects a delegation: "Substitutions are permitted and can be made at any time."
The group cancellation policy repeats the $125 fee, the written route to nlc@maritz.com, the February 20 date and the substitution line.
NLC labels the published rates as the 2026 cycle and states that 2027 rates are subject to change. Registration for 2027 opens in November 2026, during City Summit in Nashville. The February 20 date and the $125 figure stand on the page today. NLC has published no 2027 deadline.
The dates a delegation commits to
The 2027 conference runs March 15 to March 17 at the Marriott Marquis, 901 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001. Pre-conference sessions run March 13 and 14. NLC lists March 17 as the Capitol Hill day.
Hill Day carries no additional charge. NLC limits it to attendees who are elected officials, city staff or State Municipal League staff. NLC reports 2,800+ local leaders at the 2026 conference and 1,100+ who went to Capitol Hill.
Where the fee sits against the price
The 2026 ladder runs three tiers. A nonmember paid $1,010 early bird, $1,210 advance or $1,310 onsite. An NLC member paid $880, $1,005 or $1,105. A state municipal league member paid $980, $1,105 or $1,205.
Early bird ran November 21 to February 26, advance ran February 27 to March 13, and onsite ran March 14 to March 18.
The February 20 cancellation cut-off sits six days before the early-bird window closes. A delegation can cancel inside the cheapest window and still owe $125.
Against the $1,010 nonmember early-bird rate, $125 is 12.4 percent of one registration. Against the $880 member rate it is 14.2 percent. The fee holds at every tier, so the exposure is largest on the cheapest seat.
A late drop becomes a name change
Substitutions carry no published fee and no published deadline. A council member who confirms in December and loses the date in February is a substitution, provided the written request reaches nlc@maritz.com.
That mechanic favours registering the bench. The seat holds the tier it was bought at, and the name settles by email later.
One detail travels with the registrant. Hill Day eligibility depends on the role. A swap between an elected official and a staff member needs a ruling from the desk before the delegation counts on the Capitol Hill meeting.
The sixth seat
NLC gives a complimentary sixth registration to groups of five or more, provided every registration is paid in full and all individuals register at the same time. Spouse/guest, student, youth chaperone and youth delegate registrations do not count toward the five.
Five nonmember early-bird registrations at $1,010 cost $5,050 and yield six seats, or $841.67 a seat. Five member registrations at $880 cost $4,400 and yield six seats, or $733.33 a seat.
The sixth name has to arrive in the same transaction. A sixth delegate added in January is a paid registration, and five registrations bought one at a time yield no sixth seat.
A comped seat is itself a registration, and the policy permits substitutions on registrations at any time. Put that reading to nlc@maritz.com in writing before a city relies on it.
The room side
Maritz Global Events runs registration and housing for this conference. The rates page states that registering online is the quickest way to secure both. Online registration opens in November 2026. NLC publishes no 2027 room rate and no block cut-off.
The venue hotel is the Marriott Marquis at 901 Massachusetts Ave NW. bookmyteam.org publishes group rates at 10 or more rooms a night, with some discounts from five rooms depending on season and availability.
Night counts follow the calendar. Pre-conference sessions on March 13 and 14 put a Friday, March 12 arrival in scope for that track. A main-conference delegate arrives Sunday, March 14 and needs three nights to cover March 15, 16 and 17. Hill Day runs all day March 17, so a delegate who stays for it books the Wednesday night or leaves late.
Washington's 15.95 percent transient accommodation tax applies to whatever rate the block quotes. The Office of Tax and Revenue extends that rate through September 30, 2027. A $250.00 night carries $39.88 of tax and totals $289.88.
The questions for the Maritz desk
Five questions go to nlc@maritz.com, or to (864) 208-2901 toll-free and (747) 226-7785 international. Ask for the 2027 written-cancellation deadline, whether the $125 fee applies per registration or per request, whether a comped sixth seat can be substituted, whether a swap between an elected official and a staff member keeps Hill Day eligibility, and the 2027 room-block cut-off.
A city that registers five, names six and writes the substitution path into its travel authorisation pays no cancellation fee. The city that waits for every calendar to settle pays $125 for each seat it unwinds, or the higher tier it lands in.
The block side is the part to price now. bookmyteam.org's how-it-works page sets the thresholds, the group rate calculator prices the nights, and the RFP form puts the request to Washington properties.
