The Council of the District of Columbia has unanimously passed the RESALE Act, capping the resale price of live entertainment tickets at 10% above their original face value.
The Council gave the bill final approval in a vote on Tuesday (July 14).
The Restricting Egregious Scalping Against Live Entertainment (RESALE) Act also bans speculative ticket sales, making it illegal to advertise or sell tickets that a reseller does not actually possess.
It requires full price transparency, forces anyone advertising 50 or more tickets a year for resale to register with the District, and prohibits surveillance pricing, in which sellers use a consumer’s personal data to personalize prices.
The bill was championed by Councilmember Charles Allen, who introduced it in April 2025.
It cleared a first Council vote on June 30, when Allen and Councilmember Christina Henderson won a unanimous amendment to restore the 10% cap after it had been removed in committee.
“Today, the DC Council stood with DC’s most beloved and iconic music venues, with our storied theaters, and with every music and live theater fan who’s tired of getting ripped off and priced out,” said Allen, the author of the RESALE Act.
“Ticket resellers have used technology and unrestrained profits to turn our live entertainment scene into the wild west – just last week it was revealed StubHub has been running a major ticket scalping operation while they’ve argued they’re just a platform for fans to sell extra tickets.”
Charles Allen, District of Columbia Council
“Ticket resellers have used technology and unrestrained profits to turn our live entertainment scene into the wild west – just last week it was revealed StubHub has been running a major ticket scalping operation while they’ve argued they’re just a platform for fans to sell extra tickets.”
“People are sick of big tech wringing more and more money out of them. DC is a leader here and I expect many other jurisdictions to step in once they see we can save our residents money and keep more dollars in our local economy instead of propping up big tech.”
Allen‘s comment referred to a CBC News investigation, published on July 10, which reported that StubHub CEO Eric Baker is a part-owner of a fund that has resold tickets on the platform he runs.
StubHub and Baker were hit with a proposed class action over those ties on Monday (July 13). StubHub says the relationships are disclosed in its public SEC filings.
The National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) and the Fix the Tix coalition, which campaigned for the reforms, applauded the vote.
“Washington, DC has raised the bar for ticketing reform nationwide by establishing the strongest consumer protection framework in the country that should be replicated in every state,” said Stephen Parker, Executive Director of NIVA.
“From the resale price cap to stronger safeguards against deceptive ticketing practices, the RESALE Act puts fans first and strengthens the District’s independent stages.”
Stephen Parker, NIVA
“From the resale price cap to stronger safeguards against deceptive ticketing practices, the RESALE Act puts fans first and strengthens the District’s independent stages… We hope states across the country will look to Washington, DC as the blueprint for the next generation of resale ticketing reform.”
Audrey Fix Schaefer, Director of Communications for I.M.P., which operates the 9:30 Club and The Anthem, said: “We’ve been fighting hard for legislation that will put an end to predatory scalpers from all over the country taking advantage of people in DC.”
“We’ve been fighting hard for legislation that will put an end to predatory scalpers from all over the country taking advantage of people in DC.”
Audrey Fix Schaefer, I.M.P.
“This will stop opportunistic profiteers from making more than the artists, and it will enable more fans to see more shows, and then cross the street to enjoy a meal in the neighborhood restaurants, since they still have enough money in their pockets. The RESALE Act will keep millions of dollars in DC.”
Paul R. Tetreault, Director of Ford’s Theatre, said: “Big concerts may get the headlines, but DC’s theaters have been getting hit hard by resellers preying on theatergoers, especially on blockbuster shows.”
“Big concerts may get the headlines, but DC’s theaters have been getting hit hard by resellers preying on theatergoers, especially on blockbuster shows.”
Paul R. Tetreault, Ford’s Theatre
Catherine Ferrando, VP and Co-Owner of Black Cat, added: “Black Cat has always been proud of our city and its music scene, and is excited to see DC become one of the first places in the nation where bands can set concert prices with confidence and fans will be free from price gouging.”
“Black Cat has always been proud of our city and its music scene, and is excited to see DC become one of the first places in the nation where bands can set concert prices with confidence and fans will be free from price gouging.”
Catherine Ferrando, Black Cat
Support for the RESALE Act extended beyond the venue coalition.
Live Nation, the concert promoter that owns Ticketmaster, has previously told NBC affiliate News4 that it supports “banning speculative ticketing and efforts to cap resale prices.”
Not everyone welcomed the RESALE Act.
The Ticket Policy Forum, a trade group representing resale platforms including StubHub and SeatGeek, has argued that a resale price cap will push ticket sales onto unregulated channels and increase fraud.
The group contends that the primary market controlled by Ticketmaster is the real cause of high prices.
The District joins a growing number of US jurisdictions moving to rein in the secondary market.
In May, Vermont capped resale prices at 110% of face value in a law backed by singer-songwriter Noah Kahan.
Similar bills are under debate in California and New York, where lawmakers have proposed resale markup limits of 10% and zero, respectively.
At the federal level, the US House of Representatives passed the TICKET Act, which mandates all-in pricing and bans speculative ticketing.
The bill awaits action in the US Senate.
NIVA has pressed Congress to add a resale price cap to that bill and to close a “concierge service” carveout it says would undermine the federal ban on speculative ticketing.
Following Tuesday’s vote, the RESALE Act advances through the remaining steps of the District’s legislative process.
That includes a 30-day congressional review period before the law is due to take effect on January 1, 2027.Music Business Worldwide