Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Madison Square Garden wedding required more than an elaborate venue transformation and private security. It also came with a six-figure city permit.
People reported that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Swift had already paid more than $160,000 for the permit connected to the July 3 wedding and the city response surrounding it.
The payment became a public issue after the wedding brought street closures, parking restrictions and a large NYPD presence to the area around Madison Square Garden.
Swift Paid More Than $160,000 for the Permit
.@NYCMayor Mamdani on Taylor Swift paying New York City back for police overtime during her wedding: “Taylor Swift will be paying… has paid already the cost of the permit that was lodged, which was over $160,000 for that event and for the response to that event.”
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 10, 2026
Mamdani addressed the amount during a July 10 press conference after a reporter asked whether Swift would reimburse the city for police overtime tied to the wedding. His answer confirmed payment of the permit and described it as covering the event and the response to the event.
“Taylor Swift has paid already the cost of the permit that was lodged, which was over $160,000 for that event and for the response to that event,” Mamdani said, according to C-SPAN.
The mayor said the permit had been finalized only days before the event. He did not provide an itemized public breakdown showing how much of the payment covered police staffing, traffic control, street closures or other city services.
The Wedding Brought Street Closures and Heavy Security
People reported that streets surrounding the venue were closed and that onlookers saw a large NYPD presence outside the arena. The outlet also reported that much of the police presence had disappeared by the following morning, though private security remained near the venue’s loading dock.
ABC7 New York reported in June that an event company filed a permit request for the closure of West 31st Street near Madison Square Garden from July 2 to July 4, along with permission for an exterior canopy.
People reported that the designer estimated the overall wedding budget could fall between $35 million and $50 million, with stadium rental alone estimated at about $1 million per day. Swift and Kelce have not publicly released an official wedding budget.