[Title 32 CFR 553.22]
[Code of Federal Regulations (annual edition) - July 1, 2002 Edition]
[Title 32 - NATIONAL DEFENSE]
[Chapter V - DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY]
[Subchapter D - MILITARY RESERVATIONS AND NATIONAL CEMETERIES]
[Part 553 - ARMY NATIONAL CEMETERIES]
[Sec. 553.22 - Visitors' rules for the Arlington National Cemetery.]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


32NATIONAL DEFENSE32002-07-012002-07-01false553.22Sec. 553.22NATIONAL DEFENSEDEPARTMENT OF THE ARMYMILITARY RESERVATIONS AND NATIONAL CEMETERIESARMY NATIONAL CEMETERIES
Sec. 553.22  Visitors' rules for the Arlington National Cemetery.

    (a) Purpose. The rules of this section define the standards of 
conduct required of all visitors to the Arlington National Cemetery, 
Arlington, Virginia. Applicable Army regulations and directives should 
be consulted for all other matters not within the scope of these rules.
    (b) Scope. Pursuant to title 40 United States Code, sections 318a 
and 486, and based upon delegations of authority from the Administrator, 
General Services Administration, the Secretary of Defense, and the 
Secretary of the Army, this section applies to all Federal property 
within the charge and control of the Superintendent, Arlington National 
Cemetery, and to all persons entering in or on such property. At the 
discretion of the Secretary of the Army, any person or organization that 
violates any of the provisions of paragraphs (d), (e), (f), (g), and 
(h), or (i) of this section may be barred from conducting memorial 
services and ceremonies within the Cemetery for two years from the date 
of such violation. Any such person shall also be subject to the 
penalties set out in title 40, United States Code section 318c.
    (c) Definitions. When used in this section;

[[Page 354]]

    (1) The term memorial service or ceremony means any formal group 
activity conducted within the Arlington National Cemetery grounds 
intended to honor the memory of a person or persons interred in the 
Cemetery or those dying in the military service of the United States or 
its allies. ``Memorial service or ceremony'' includes a ``private 
memorial service,'' ``public memorial service,'' ``public wreath laying 
ceremony'' and ``official ceremony'' as defined in this section.
    (2) The term official ceremony means a memorial service or ceremony 
approved by the Commanding General, Military District of Washington, in 
which the primary participants are authorized representatives of the 
United States Government, a state government, a foreign country, or an 
international organization who are participating in an official 
capacity.
    (3) The term private memorial service means a memorial service or 
ceremony, other than an official ceremony, conducted at a private 
gravesite within Arlington National Cemetery by a group of relatives 
and/or friends of the person interred or to be interred at that 
gravesite. Private memorial services may be closed to members of the 
public.
    (4) The term public memorial service means a ceremony, other than an 
official ceremony, conducted by members of the public at the Arlington 
Memorial Amphitheater, the Confederate Memorial, the Mast of the Maine, 
the John F. Kennedy Grave or at an historic shrine or at a gravesite 
within Arlington National Cemetery designated by the Superintendent, 
Arlington National Cemetery. All public memorial services are open to 
any member of the public to observe.
    (5) The term public wreath laying ceremony means a brief ceremony, 
other than an official ceremony, in which members of the public, 
assisted by members of the Tomb Guard, present a wreath or similar 
memento, approved by the Superintendent or Commanding General, at the 
tomb and plaza area of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (also known as 
the Tomb of the Unknowns). Participants follow the instructions of the 
Tomb Guards, Superintendent and Commanding General in carrying out the 
presentation. The ceremony is open to any member of the public to 
observe.
    (6) The term Superintendent means the Superintendent, Arlington 
National Cemetery or his representative.
    (7) The term Commanding General, means the Commanding General, U.S. 
Army Military District of Washington or his representative.
    (d) Visitors hours. Visitors' hours shall be established by the 
Superintendent and posted in conspicuous places. Unless otherwise posted 
or announced by the Superintendent, visitors will be admitted during the 
following hours:

October through March--8 a.m. through 5 p.m.
April through September--8 a.m. through 7 p.m.

No visitor shall enter or remain in the Cemetery beyond the time 
established by the applicable visitors' hours.
    (e) Destruction or Removal of Property. No person shall willfully 
destroy, damage, mutilate or remove any monument, gravestone, structure, 
tree, shrub, plant or other property located within the Cemetery 
grounds.
    (f) Conduct within the Cemetery. Because Arlington National Cemetery 
is a shrine to the honored dead of the Armed Forces of the United States 
and because certain acts, appropriate elsewhere, are not appropriate in 
the Cemetery, all visitors, including persons attending or taking part 
in memorial services and ceremonies, shall observe proper standards of 
decorum and decency while within the Cemetery grounds. Specifically, no 
person shall:
    (1) Conduct any memorial service or ceremony within the Cemetery, 
except private memorial services, without the prior approval of the 
Superintendent or Commanding General. All memorial services and 
ceremonies shall be conducted in accordance with the rules established 
in paragraph (h) and, except for official ceremonies, paragraph (i) of 
this section. Official ceremonies shall be conducted in accordance with 
guidance and procedures established by the Commanding General;
    (2) Engage in any picketing, demonstration or similar conduct within 
the Cemetery grounds;

[[Page 355]]

    (3) Engage in any orations, speeches, or similar conduct to 
assembled groups of people, unless the oration is part of a memorial 
service or ceremony authorized by this section;
    (4) Display any placards, banners, flags or similar devices within 
the Cemetery grounds, unless, in the case of a flag, use of the same is 
approved by the Superintendent or Commanding General and is part of a 
memorial service or ceremony authorized by this section;
    (5) Distribute any handbill, pamphlet, leaflet, or other written or 
printed matter within the Cemetery grounds except that a program may be 
distributed if approved by the Superintendent or Commanding General and 
such distribution is a part of a memorial service or ceremony authorized 
by this section;
    (6) Allow any dog, cat, or other pet to run loose within the 
Cemetery grounds;
    (7) Use the Cemetery grounds for recreational activities such as 
sports, athletics, or picnics;
    (8) Ride a bicycle within Cemetery grounds except on Meigs Drive, 
Sherman Drive and Schley Drive or as otherwise authorized by the 
Superintendent under this subparagraph. All other bicycle traffic will 
be directed to the Visitors' Center where bicycle racks are provided. 
Exceptions for bicycle touring groups may be authorized in advance and 
in writing by the Superintendent. An individual visiting a relative's 
gravesite may be issued a temporary pass by the Superintendent to permit 
him to proceed directly to and from the gravesite by bicycle;
    (9) Deposit or throw litter on Cemetery grounds;
    (10) Play any radio, tape recorder, or musical instrument, or use 
any loudspeaker within the Cemetery grounds unless use of the same is 
approved by the Superintendent or Commanding General and is part of a 
memorial service or ceremony authorized by this section;
    (11) Drive any motor vehicle within Arlington National Cemetery in 
excess of twenty miles per hour or such lesser speed limit as the 
Superintendent posts;
    (12) Park any motor vehicle in any area on the Cemetery grounds 
designated by the Superintendent as a no parking area; or leave any 
vehicle in the Visitors' Center Parking Lot at the Cemetery beyond two 
hours;
    (13) Engage in any disorderly conduct within the Cemetery grounds. 
For purposes of this section, a person shall be guilty of disorderly 
conduct if, with purpose to cause, or with knowledge that he is likely 
to cause, public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, he:
    (i) Engages in, promotes, instigates, encourages, or aids and abets 
fighting, or threatening, violent or tumultuous behavior;
    (ii) Yells, utters loud and boisterous language or makes other 
unreasonably loud noise;
    (iii) Interrupts or disturbs a memorial service or ceremony;
    (iv) Utters to any person present abusive, insulting, profane, 
indecent or otherwise provocative language or gesture that by its very 
utterance tends to incite an immediate breach of the peace;
    (v) Obstructs movement on the streets, sidewalks, or pathways of the 
Cemetery grounds without prior authorization by competent authority;
    (vi) Disobeys a proper request or order by the Superintendent, 
Cemetery special police, park police, or other competent authority to 
disperse or to leave the Cemetery grounds; or
    (vii) Otherwise creates a hazardous or physically offensive 
condition by any act not authorized by competent authority.
    (g) Soliciting and Vending. No person shall display or distribute 
commercial advertising or solicit business while within the Cemetery 
grounds.
    (h) Requests to Conduct Memorial Services and Ceremonies.
    (1) Requests by members of the public to conduct memorial services 
or ceremonies shall be submitted to the Superintendent, Arlington 
National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia 22211. Such requests shall 
describe the proposed memorial service or ceremony in detail to include 
the type of service, its proposed location, the name of the individual 
or organization sponsoring the service, the names of all key individuals 
participating in the service, the estimated number of persons expected 
to attend the service, the expected

[[Page 356]]

length of the service, the service's format and content, whether 
permission to use loud-speaker systems or musical instruments or flags 
during the service is requested and, if so, the number, type, and how 
they are planned to be used, whether permission to distribute printed 
programs during the service is requested, and, if so, a description of 
the programs, and whether military support is requested. Individuals and 
organizations sponsoring memorial services or ceremonies shall provide 
written assurance that the services or ceremonies are not partisan in 
nature, as defined in paragraph (i) of this section, and that they and 
their members will obey all rules set out in this section and act in a 
dignified and proper manner at all times while in the Cemetery grounds.
    (2) Requests to conduct official ceremonies shall be submitted to 
the Commanding General.
    (3) Memorial services or ceremonies other than private memorial 
services may be conducted only after permission has been received from 
the Superintendent or Commanding General. Private memorial services may 
be conducted only at the gravesite of a relative or friend. All other 
memorial services and ceremonies may be conducted only at the area or 
areas designated by the Superintendent or Commanding General as follows:
    (i) Public memorial services may be authorized to be conducted only 
at the Arlington Memorial Amphitheater, the Confederate Memorial, the 
John F. Kennedy Grave, or other sites designated by the Superintendent.
    (ii) Public wreath laying ceremonies may be authorized to be 
conducted at the tomb and plaza area of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier 
(also known as the Tomb of the Unknowns).
    (iii) Official ceremonies may be authorized to be conducted at sites 
designated by the Superintendent or Commanding General.
    (i) Conduct of Memorial Services and Ceremonies. All memorial 
services and ceremonies within Arlington National Cemetery, other than 
official ceremonies, shall be conducted in accordance with the following 
rules:
    (1) Memorial services and ceremonies shall be purely memorial in 
purpose and dedicated only to the memory of all those interred in the 
Cemetery, to all those dying in the military service of the United 
States, to all those dying in the military service of the United States 
while serving during a particular conflict or while serving in a 
particular military unit or units, or to the memory of the individual or 
individuals interred or to be interred at the particular gravesite at 
which the service or ceremony is held.
    (2) Partisan activities are inappropriate in Arlington National 
Cemetery, due to its role as a shrine to all the honored dead of the 
Armed Forces of the United States and out of respect for the men and 
women buried there and for their families. Services or any activities 
inside the Cemetery connected therewith shall not be partisan in nature. 
A service is partisan and therefore inappropriate if it includes 
commentary in support of, or in opposition to, or attempts to influence, 
any current policy of the Armed Forces, the Government of the United 
States or any state of the United States; if it espouses the cause of a 
political party; or if it has as a primary purpose to gain publicity or 
engender support for any group or cause. If a service is closely 
related, both in time and location, to partisan activities or 
demonstrations being conducted outside the Cemetery, it will be 
determined to be partisan and therefore inappropriate. If a service is 
determined to be partisan by the Superintendent or the Commanding 
General, permission to conduct memorial services or ceremonies at the 
Cemetery will be denied.
    (3) Participants in public wreath laying ceremonies shall remain 
silent during the ceremony.
    (4) Participants in public memorial services at the John F. Kennedy 
Grave shall remain silent during the service.
    (5) Public memorial services and public wreath laying ceremonies 
shall be open to all members of the public to observe.
    (6) Participants in public wreath laying ceremonies shall follow all 
instructions of the Tomb Guards, Superintendent, and Commanding General

[[Page 357]]

relating to their conduct of the ceremony. (40 U.S.C. 318a, 486, and 
delegations of authority from the Administrator, General Services 
Administration, Secretary of Defense, and Secretary of the Army).
    (j) Tributes in Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate 
individuals, events, units, groups and/or organizations--(1) General. 
Tributes, which include plaques, medals, and statues, will be accepted 
only from those veterans organizations listed in the Directory of 
Veterans Organizations and State Department of Veterans Organizations 
published annually by the Veterans Administration or those substantially 
similar in nature.
    (2) Plaques at trees and other donated items. Plaques may be 
accepted and placed at trees or other donated items to honor the memory 
of a person or persons interred in Arlington National Cemetery or those 
dying in the military service of the United States or its allies.-

Plaques placed at trees or other donated items must conform to the 
specifications described in appendix A, Specifications for Tributes in 
Arlington National Cemetery. A rendering of the proposed plaque shall be 
sent to the Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, 
Virginia 22211-5003 for approval.
    (k) Tributes to the Unknowns (Unknown Soldier).
    (1) General. Tributes, normally plaques, to the Unknowns by those 
organizations described in Sec. 553.22(j) above must conform to 
specifications and guidelines contained in appendix A, Specifications 
for Tributes in Arlington National Cemetery. Descriptions of the 
character, dimensions, inscription, material and workmanship of the 
tribute must be submitted in writing to Superintendent, Arlington 
National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia 22211-5003 for approval.
    (2) Tributes to the Unknowns (Unknown Soldier) Presented by Foreign 
Dignitaries. Presentation of tributes by Foreign Dignitaries is allowed 
as part of an official ceremony as defined herein.
    (l) Monuments. Monuments (other than private monuments or markers) 
to commemorate an individual, group or event may be erected following 
joint or concurrent resolution of the Congress.

    Appendix A to Part 553--Specifications for Tributes in Arlington 
                            National Cemetery

    1. Purpose. The appendix provides specifications and guidelines for 
obtaining approval for the donation of tributes at Arlington National 
Cemetery. -
    2. Approval. The Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery, 
Arlington, Virginia 22211-5003 exercises general supervision over 
Arlington National Cemetery; and his approval of proposed tributes to be 
placed in Arlington National Cemetery is required.
    3. Who May Offer Tributes. a. Tributes will be accepted only from 
those veterans' organizations listed in the Directory of Veterans 
Organizations and State Department of Veterans Organizations published 
annually by the Veterans Administration or those substantially similar 
in nature. Tributes will not be accepted from individuals or from 
subdivisions of parent organizations.
    b. Only one tribute will be accepted from an organization. However, 
with prior approval, the inscription of a tribute already presented in 
Memory of the Unknown Soldier (World War I) may be reworded by the 
donating organization to commemorate one additional or all the Unknowns, 
or a new tribute may be substituted for the old one.
    4. Design--a. Character. The design of the tribute shall be 
artistically proportioned and shall be consistent with the sacred 
purpose of the shrine, which is to honor heroic military service as 
distinguished from civilian service however notable or patriotic.
    b. Dimensions. The surface area of the tribute, including the 
mounting, shall not exceed 36 square inches; and the thickness or height 
shall not exceed two (2) inches when mounted.
    c. Inscriptions--(1). Tributes to the Unknowns. Tributes are 
accepted only for the purpose of commemorating and paying homage and 
respect to one or more of the Unknowns. Thus all tributes must include, 
either in the basic design or on a small plate affixed thereto, a clear 
indication of such commemoration.
    Suggestions follow:

--In Memory Of The American Heroes Known But to God
--The American Unknowns
--The Unknown American Heroes
--The Unknown Soldier
--The Unknown of World War II
--The Unknown of the Korean War
--The Unknown American of World War II
--The Unknown American of the Korean War

    The identity of the donor/Date of Presentation.

[[Page 358]]

    2. Other Tributes including plaques at trees and other donated 
Items. Inscriptions on tributes will be in keeping with the dignity of 
Arlington National Cemetery.
    d. Material and Workmanship. The material and workmanship of the 
tribute, including the mounting, shall be of the highest quality, free 
of flaws and imperfections.
    5. Applications. Requests for authority to present tributes shall be 
submitted in writing to the Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery, 
Arlington, Virginia 22211-5003.
    a. A scale drawing or model, showing the exact inscription and other 
details of the proposed tribute.
    b. A copy of the constitution and bylaws of the organization 
desiring to make the presentation.
    6. Final Approval. Upon fabrication, the completed tribute will be 
forwarded to the Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, 
Virginia 22211-5003 for visual inspection prior to its presentation.
    7. Presentation of Tributes. After authorized acceptance of the 
tribute the sponsoring organization may arrange appropriate presentation 
ceremonies with the Superintendent, Arlington National Cemetery, 
Arlington, Virginia 22211-5003. If presentation ceremonies are not 
desired, the Superintendent will acknowledge receipt of the tribute and 
inform the sponsoring organization of the number of the case in which it 
reposes in the Memorial Display Room at the Amphitheater at Arlington 
National Cemetery.

[45 FR 80524, Dec. 5, 1980, as amended at 51 FR 19708, May 30, 1986; 51 
FR 43742, Dec. 4, 1986]