Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.5, on Sunday, May 17, 2026, the National Park Service is imposing a temporary closure of, and public use limit in, certain designated parklands National Mall in conjunction with the Rededicate 250 National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving as described below and in the attached map, and as further delineated by fencing and security screening areas. Access Restrictions Specifically, there will be restricted pedestrian access for the public at the following locations from approximately 2:00 a.m. to approximately 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2026: • National Mall between 9th -14th Streets to include the north sidewalks on Jefferson Drive, SW • National Mall between 9th -14th Streets to include the south sidewalks on Madison Drive, SW The public will be able to access portions of the above areas subject to security screening and compliance with the prohibited items list in this Record of Determination as further described below. Unless otherwise noted it is anticipated that security company personnel will restrict public access and enforce the restricted items list from approximately 9:00 a.m. through approximately 6:00 p.m. on May 17 2026. In addition, the following park roads will be closed except to local traffic from approximately 2:00 a.m. to approximately 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2026: • Madison Drive, NW, from 7th Street, NW to 14th Street, NW, which will also be designated as emergency/no parking • Jefferson Drive, SW, from 7th Street, SW, to 14th Street, SW, which will also be designated as emergency/no parking • 12th Street SW/NW, from Independence Avenue to Constitution Avenue, NW Finally, it is further anticipated that event personnel will temporarily restrict all public access in the above areas during the installation of fencing. These restrictions are expected to begin on Monday, May 10, 2026 from approximately 8:00 a.m. and continue until approximately 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. These public access restrictions are necessary during fence installation to ensure the safety of the public as well as the personnel engaged in installation. Once fence installation is complete in a specific area, public access will be restored until the above-referenced event-related public access restrictions begin at approximately 9:00 a.m. on May 20, 2026. A copy of the USPP letter and map is attached and incorporated by reference. These closures and restrictions come at the request of the United States Park Police (USPP) and are necessary to provide a secure perimeter with sufficient stand-off distance to protect the safety of the public, dignitaries, and representatives of the executive and legislative branches of government while they attend or participate in the Rededicate 250 National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving. The temporary restrictions are also necessary to permit the USPP to perform security sweeps of the area, to allow for security screening of the public, and restrict access to certain areas necessary for the safety and security of the event. Less restrictive measures will not suffice because of the need to protect the public and ensure the safe and sufficient passage of the public through the use of limited park closures and a security sweep. Prohibited Items Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. §1.5, based on a written security determination by the United States Park Police, the National Park Service is also imposing a partial and temporary public use limit on May 17, 2026, and will not allow the following items on the National Mall between 7th-14th Streets: ● Aerosols ● Ammunition ● Animals other than Service / Guide dogs ● Backpacks and Bags Exceeding Size Restrictions (18” X 13” X 7”) ● Balloons ● Bicycles ● Coolers ● Drones and other Unmanned Aircraft ● Explosives ● Firearms ● Flammable Liquids ● Flipper Zero devices ● Glass, Thermal, or Metal Containers ● Laser Pointers ● Mace / Pepper Spray ● Packages ● Pineapple Wi-Fi devices ● Router ● Range Finders ● Raspberry-Pi Enabled Devices ● Recreational Motorized Mobility Devices ● Selfie Sticks ● Signs Exceeding Size Restrictions (20’ X 3’ X 1⁄4”) ● Signs Not Made of Soft Materials (e.g., paper, cardboard, poster board, cloth, etc.)● Structures (including hollow items described below) ● Supports for Signs and Placards ● Toy Guns ● Weapons of Any Kind ● Chairs / Folding Chairs ● Any Other Items Determined To Be Potential Safety Hazards With respect to signs and placards, the USPP has determined that it poses a security risk to allow signs or placards made of hard materials that could be used as a weapon, and it is therefore necessary to exclude signs or placards of any size that are not made of soft materials such as paper, cardboard, poster board, or cloth. Hand-carried or portable signs made of wood, metal or other hard materials are prohibited for the duration of the closure. As noted above, NPS is also prohibiting supports for signs and placards as these items may be used as a means of concealing weapons or as weapons themselves. Additionally, the USPP has determined that the unique security concerns associated with the event require a prohibition on all unpermitted structures that can be used as weapons and/or used to conceal weapons, which includes chairs (including folding chairs) recreational motorized mobility devices, and structures, which includes any type of hollow structures to include but not be limited to displays such as puppets, papier mâché objects, coffins, crates, crosses other than those worn as personal adornment in sizes consistent with jewelry, theaters, cages and statues. It does not include signs and objects meeting the size and material restrictions, portable bullhorns, baby carriages and baby strollers that are in use for their intended purpose, wheelchairs and other devices for the handicapped that are actively being used by a handicapped individual. These restrictions are similar to the restrictions on the size, physical composition, and use of signs, placards and structures on the White House sidewalk set forth in 36 CFR 7.96(g)(5). Less restrictive measures will not suffice due to the USPP’s security-based assessment that these park areas need to be kept clear and that the items listed above must be restricted. This temporary and partial closure and public use limit are not of a nature, magnitude and duration that will result in a “significant alteration in the public use pattern.” Rather, they are short-term and limited in geographic scope, and the public will largely still have access to parkland subject to security screening. Further, the closure will not adversely affect the park’s natural, aesthetic or cultural values, does not require long-term or significant modification in park resource management objectives, and is not of a highly controversial nature. Rather, closures and public use limits such as these are commonplace for these types of public special events, particularly those attended by government officials with government-provided protection and are necessary to provide the public with as much access as possible to park land while also providing for the security the USPP has deemed necessary for this event. Accordingly, the National Park Service determines publication as rulemaking in the Federal Register is unwarranted under 36 C.F.R. § 1.5(b). This is consistent with hundreds of earlier partial and temporary park closures or public use limitations, the legal opinion of the Office of the Solicitor, and judicial adjudications. Mahoney v. Norton, No. 02-1715 (D.D.C. August 29, 2002), plaintiff’s emergency motion for injunction pending appeal denied Mahoney v. Norton, No. 02-5275 (D.C. Cir. September 9, 2002) (per curiam); Picciotto v. United States, No. 99-2113 (D.D.C. August 6, 1999); Picciotto v. United States, No. 94-1935 (D.D.C. September 9, 1994); Picciotto v. Lujan, No. 90-1261 (D.D.C. May 30, 1990); Picciotto v. Hodel, No. 87-3290 (D.D.C. January 26, 1988); Spiegel v. Babbitt, 855 F. Supp. 402 (D.D.C. 1994), aff'd in part w/o op. 56 F.3d 1531 (D.C. Cir. 1995), reported in full, 1995 US App. Lexis 15200 (D.C. Cir. May 31, 1995). Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.7, notice of this temporary and partial closure and public use limit will be made though media advisories, maps, fencing, and by posting at conspicuous locations in the affected park areas. Finally, pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.5(c), this determination is available to the public upon request. Kevin Griess Superintendent, National Mall and Memorial Parks 5/15/2026 |
Last updated: May 15, 2026