16 U.S.C. § 7913 — Closure of Federal land to hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting

(a) Authorization. The agency in charge may designate an area of federal land, and a time period, where hunting, fishing, or recreational shooting is banned — but only for reasons of public safety, land management, or following the law. The agency must pick the smallest area and shortest time that actually accomplishes that goal. (b) Closure procedures. Except in an emergency, before permanently or temporarily closing land, the agency must consult state fish and wildlife agencies and give public notice with a chance to comment. That notice must be published in advance — in the Federal Register, on the agency's website, on the specific land unit's website if it has one, and in at least one local newspaper. It must also go in advance to local hunting, fishing, and shooting groups that signed a specific interagency memorandum of understanding. The notice must describe the proposed closure and explain why it's needed. The public comment period must run at least 60 days for a permanent closure, or at least 30 days for a temporary one. When making its final decision, the agency must respond reasonably to the comments received, explain how it resolved any major issues raised, and show how that led to the closure. (c) Temporary closures. A temporary closure can't run longer than 180 days. Except in an emergency, the same closure of the same land for the same activities can't be renewed more than three times, and each renewal needs its own separate notice-and-comment process. A temporary closure never turns into a permanent one without going through that separate public notice and comment process. (d) Reporting. Each year, the agencies must publish online a list of all federal land currently closed, temporarily or permanently, under this section. They must also report to four named congressional committees, listing every closed area, its acreage, and — state by state — the total area and acreage closed, plus the percentage of that state's federal land now closed to hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting. (e) Application. This section does not apply to a closure that lasts less than 14 days and is covered by a special use permit.