Policy Memoranda and Related Guidance

Policy Memoranda are an option for creating policy within the NPS Directives System. Signed by the Director of the National Park Service, they fill simple, urgent, or interim policy needs. They may also be used to set broad policy direction and objectives across one or more relevant Director’s Orders. The content may be incorporated into an existing or proposed Director’s Order. Service-wide review of Policy Memoranda is decided on a case-by-case basis.

For more information about Policy Memoranda, refer to Director’s Order #1, section 8.

List of Policy Memos and Related Guidance

Note about access: Some documents and links are marked "internal access only." National Park Service staff must be connected to a secure NPS network or our VPN. All other users will encounter an error message.

Number	Title	Approval Date	Related Documents
07-01	Authorizing Activities through Leases vs. Concession Contracts	5/29/2007
07-02	Policy on Use of Alcoholic Beverages in NPS Facilities	12/05/2007
07-03	Interim Policy for Scientific and Scholarly Code of Conduct, Peer Review, and Information Quality	2/6/2008	NPS Interim Guidance Document Governing Code of Conduct, Peer Review, and Information Quality Correction (2008)
08-01	Review requirements for contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements	3/14/2008
11-01	Minor employees in park housing	Superseded by Director's Order #36
11-02	Social Media--Interim Policy	12/15/2011
11-03	Disposable Plastic Water Bottle Recycling and Reduction	Rescinded 8/16/2017
12-01	National Heritage Areas Program	3/14/2012
12-02	Applying NPS Management Policies in the Context of Climate Change	3/06/2012
13-01	Official Travel Driving Policy	4/03/2013	Attachment #1 – Fact Sheet Attachment #2 – FAQs
14-01	Interpretation of 36 CFR 2.52 – Free Distribution of Message-Bearing Items	1/28/2014	Director's Order #53: Special Park Uses
14-02	Climate Change and Stewardship of Cultural Resources	2/10/2014
14-03	Employee Fitness - Interim Policy	Superseded by RM-50B, chapter 26 (Employee Wellness Program)
14-04	Developing a New Framework for National Park Service Partnerships and Philanthropic Stewardship in the 21st Century	Superseded by Director’s Order #21
14-05	Unmanned Aircraft – Interim Policy	Rescinded by memo dated 10/1/24; see now RM-60	Reference Manual 60 (RM-60)
15-01	Addressing Climate Change and Natural Hazards for Facilities	1/20/2015
15-02	Employee and Volunteer Participation in Commercial Filming	8/31/2015	Director's Order #53: Special Park Uses Reference Manual 53
15-03	Use of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems	9/10/2015
16-01	Resource Stewardship for the 21st Century – Interim Policy	Superseded by Director’s Order #100
16-02	Significant Use Restrictions or Closures of Park Areas to Accommodate Special Events	9/21/2016	Director's Order #53: Special Park Uses Reference Manual 53
18-01	NPS Uniform Program – Amendments to Director’s Order #43	8/07/2018	Director's Order #43: Uniform Program Reference Manual 43 Attachment – USPP General Order 31.03
18-02	Use of Service Animals by Visitors with Disabilities	10/18/2018	Director's Order #42: Accessibility for Visitors with Disabilities
19-01	Electric Bicycles	Superseded by NPS regulations on e-bikes (36 CFR 4.30(i))
20-01	Use of Prison Work Details in Units of the National Park System	7/09/2020	Attachment #1 – (Federal) Interagency Agreement Template Attachment #2 – Guidance to NPS Employees Monitoring Federal Inmates Attachment #3 – (State, etc.) Cooperative Agreement Template Attachment #4 – (State, etc.) Task Agreement Template
22-01	Managing Special Events and Demonstrations in National Cemeteries	8/15/2022	Director's Order #61: National Cemetery Operations Reference Manual 61
22-02	Reporting Visitor Injuries and Deaths - Interim Policy	8/25/2022	Director's Order #50C: Public Risk Management Program
22-03	Fulfilling the National Park Service Trust Responsibility to Indian Tribes, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians in the Stewardship of Federal Lands and Waters	9/12/2022	Office of Native American Affairs
23-01	Adoption of Nationally Recognized Building Codes	5/9/2023
23-02	Use of the Arrowhead Symbol by National Heritage Areas	7/12/2023	Special Directive 93-7: use of the NPS Arrowhead Symbol Policy Memorandum 12-01: National Heritage Areas Program
24-01	Guidance for Implementing 36 CFR 2.6—Plant Gathering by Federally Recognized Tribes for Traditional Purposes	7/25/2024	Technical resources for developing plant gathering agreements (internal access only) Tribal plant gathering in national parks (public website)
24-02	Landscape and Seascape Conservation and Ecological Connectivity through Cooperative Conservation	8/19/2024	Implementation tools, case studies, and training modules (internal access only)
24-03	Managing National Parks in an Era of Climate Change	8/19/2024	Implementation tools, case studies, and training modules (internal access only)
24-04	Affiliated Areas	10/15/2024