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, and the White House Sidewalk for the 2026 White House Easter Egg Roll

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, First Division Monument and State Place, Sherman Park, Hamilton Place, and the White House Sidewalk in conjunction with the White House Easter Egg Roll event on Monday, April 6, 2026.

Specifically the entire Ellipse and its side panels, roadways and sidewalks, E Street and its adjacent north and south sidewalks from 15^th Street to 17^th Street, N.W., State Place, Sherman Park, the park surrounding the First Division Monument 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 will be closed on Monday, April 6, 2026 from approximately 1:00 a.m. to approximately 9:00 p.m. for the 2026 White House Easter Egg Roll. Ticketed guests for the event, including individuals with disabilities, will enter the Ellipse at the Southeast Dogleg. The Southwest portion of the Ellipse will be utilized for parking for those personnel who are deemed necessary for the event to function. These closures are delineated in the attached map and are further delineated by fencing. Violation is prohibited.

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 March 13, 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); Picciottov. 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

March 19, 2026