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NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC Continuing from the public closures imposed in the July 1, 2026, public notice, the following temporary and intermittent closures will be extended through Monday, July 13, 2026. Maps illustrating the closed park areas are attached. Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.5, the National Park Service (NPS) is imposing a temporary closure of certain designated parklands at the National Mall and Memorial Parks in conjunction with the load out of the 2026 Salute to America Celebration and Grand Fireworks Show. Shown as delineated in the maps below and as further delineated by fencing or police closures. Closures will be lifted as soon as they are no longer necessary, restoring access to the public as soon as practicable. Violation is prohibited. National Mall and Memorial Parks: RoadwaysContinuing from 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, until approximately 11:59 p.m. on Monday, July 13, 2026:
National Mall and Memorial Parks: Park areasWashington Monument GroundsContinuing from July 6, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. until approximately 11:59 p.m. on Monday, July 13, 2026, the west and north sides of the Washinton Monument grounds, and a portion of the southern side of the Washington Monument grounds, extending from the ha-ha wall surrounding the base of the Washington Monument north to Constitution Avenue, west to 17th Street, south to Independence Avenue, and east to the Sylvan Theater, including exterior walkways, will be closed to pedestrians as reflected in the below map. The extension of these closures from the July 1, 2026, ROD comes at the request of the United State Park Police (USPP), being necessary to provide for the safety and security of visitors and operators during the load out of the equipment from the Salute to America celebration. These temporary and partial closures are not of a nature, magnitude, nor duration that will result in a “significant alteration in the public use pattern.” Further, the public closure will not adversely affect the parks’ natural, aesthetic or cultural values, is not of a highly controversial nature, and does not require a long-term or significant modification in the resource-management objectives of any affected park. Rather, these closures are limited temporally and geographically as much as possible while still providing for the safety and security the public and workers and still allow for public access to a significant amount of park land. Closures such as these are commonplace for these types of public events 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 operations. 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 through 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. The National Park Service appreciates the public’s cooperation in this matter. Maps
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Last updated: July 13, 2026