Record of Determination for a Temporary Closure of the Ellipse, E Street, First Division Monument, Sherman Park, Constitution Avenue, the White House Sidewalk and a Portion of Lafayette Park for the 2026 White House Congressional Picnic

Record of Determination for a temporary closure of the Ellipse and its side panels and sidewalks, E Street and its sidewalks, First Division Monument, Sherman Park, Constitution Avenue, the White House Sidewalk and a portion of Lafayette Park for the 2026 White House Congressional Picnic

Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 1.5, the National Park Service (NPS) is imposing a temporary closure of the Ellipse and its side panels, roadways and sidewalks, E Street and its sidewalks between 15th 17th Streets, Constitution Avenue between 15th-17th Streets, First Division Monument and State Place, Sherman Park, Hamilton Place, and the White House Sidewalk in conjunction with the White House Congressional Picnic event on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.

Specifically, the entire Ellipse and its side panels, roadways and sidewalks, E Street and its adjacent north and south sidewalks from 15th Street to 17th Street, N.W., State Place, Sherman Park, the park surrounding the First Division Monument, Constitution Avenue, N.W. between 15th-17th Streets and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, from 15th Street, NW to 17th Street, NW including the White House Sidewalk along Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. between East Executive Avenue and West Executive Avenue and all but a portion of the northeast and northwest quadrants of Lafayette Park will be closed on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 from approximately 4:30 p.m. to approximately 10:00 p.m. for the 2026 White House Congressional Picnic event.

Please note the following sidewalks in the Ellipse area can remain open to pedestrian traffic: the eastern sidewalk adjacent to 15th Street, NW; the western sidewalk adjacent to 17th Street, NW; and the northern sidewalk adjacent to Constitution Ave, NW. These closures are delineated in the attached map and are further delineated by fencing. Violation is prohibited.

***Please note that the White House Sidewalk, between East Executive Avenue, NW and West Executive Avenue, NW, as well as all but a portion of the Northwest quadrant of Lafayette Park are closed by means of previously articulated and announced closures due to project work occurring in these areas and the unique security requirements of the United States Secret Service associated with protecting the White House Complex.

At the request of the United States secret Service the National Park Service is also imposing a public use limitation and will not allow into the event:

• Laptops, Tripods, Monopods, and Selfie Sticks *If an invited guest arrives with a tablet, they will be redirected to the X-ray line and then permitted entry with the tablet.
• Large Bags and Suitcases exceeding size restrictions (18” x 13” x 7”)
• Packages
• Drones and other Unmanned Aircraft Systems
• Animals other than service/guide dogs
• Bicycles, Scooters, Folding Chairs, Balloons, Coolers, Glass, Thermal or Metal Containers, Paint
• Umbrellas (umbrellas without metal tips will be permitted)
• Pointed object(s), to include knives of any kind
• Aerosols, Tobacco Products, e-Cigarettes, Lighters, Matches
• Firearms, Ammunition, Fireworks, Laser Pointers, Stun Guns, Tasers, Mace/Pepper Spray, Toy Weapons
• Tents and Structures
• Any Other Items Determined to be Potential Safety Hazards

The park closure and public use limitation come at the request of the United States Secret Service to provide a secure staging area as well as a secure perimeter with sufficient stand-off distance to protect the ticketed guests while they participate in the activities on the grounds of the White House. The temporary restrictions are also necessary to permit the Secret Service to perform security sweeps of the area, facilitate guest arrivals and departures, allow for security screening of the guests, separate ticketed guests from the general public, and restrict access to the White House grounds. Lesser restrictive measures will not suffice due to the Secret Service’s security-based assessment that these park areas need to be kept clear. Please be advised that exact times are subject to change, based upon the evolving schedule of the event. However, the United States Secret Service has communicated to the NPS that they will notify us as soon as practicable of any changes in dates and times or if these restrictions are no longer necessary. A copy of the Secret Service’s letter dated May 8, 2026, and map is attached and incorporated by reference.

This temporary and partial closure is not of a nature, magnitude and duration that will result in a “significant alteration in the public use pattern”. Further, the closure will not adversely affect the park’s natural, aesthetic, or cultural values and is not of a highly controversial nature given the ongoing and evolving security measures being undertaken nationwide and in Washington, D.C. To the contrary, comparable closures and public use limits are put in place annually for this event, and it is therefore expected by the public. Nearby park areas, including Lafayette Park and most if not all of the National Mall, are available to the public during these closures, which are geographically and temporally limited to the Secret Service’s assessed needs.

Accordingly, the National Park Service determines publication as rulemaking in the Federal Register is unwarranted under 36 C.F.R. § 1.5(c). 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 will be made through media advisories, maps, 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.

/s/
John Stanwich,
NPS Liaison to the White House
National Capital Region

May 15, 2026