What’s open, what’s closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2023

The life of Martin Luther King Jr., a figurehead of the Civil Rights Movement who was assassinated in 1968, will be observed across the United States on Monday, Jan. 16.

Public schools, post offices, government offices, most libraries and most banks across the D.C. region will be closed to mark the federal holiday. Meanwhile, there are a number of MLK Day of Service events being held in the D.C. area for those interested taking part.

Here’s what’s open and what’s closed on Jan. 16.

Roads

High-occupancy vehicle restrictions are lifted in Virginia for the holiday, but not in Maryland.

The District will suspend construction and work zones for nonemergency work in roadways, alleys, and sidewalks within the city’s right of way. DDOT will also suspend reversible lane operations citywide.

Transit

• DC Circulator reports normal operations.
• DC Streetcar reports normal operations.
• Metrorail will operate on a Saturday schedule.
• Metrobus will operate with Saturday supplemental service.
• MetroAccess will operate normal service; although pre-scheduled subscription trips are canceled.
• Virginia Railway Express will not run on Monday.
• MARC will operate on the Brunswick, Penn and Camden lines on R schedule. There will be no MTA Commuter Bus service except for Route 201, which will operate on what it calls “Weekend Holiday Schedule.”
• OmniRide Express, Local and East-West Express routes will operate regular service.
• OmniRide Metro Express reports no service.
• DASH Bus will operate a Saturday schedule for Monday.
• Fairfax Connector said it will operate what it calls “Holiday Weekday Service” on Monday.
• The Bus reports normal operations, but there are no Call-a-Bus and PGC Link services.
• Ride On, Ride On extRa and Ride On Flex will operate a holiday schedule.
• ART bus service will run on a Saturday schedule. Visit arlingtontransit.com for details.
• VanGO’s last departures from the Waldorf transfer point will be at 6 p.m. on the 301 Connector, Berry Road, Brandywine Connector, Pinefield, Indian Head, St. Charles A, St. Charles B, St. Charles C. Last departures from the Waldorf transfer point will be at 5:30 p.m. on the Business A, Business B, Charlotte Hall. Last departure from the Waldorf transfer point will be at 6:30 p.m. for St. Charles D. Last departures from the La Plata transfer point will be at 6:30 p.m. on the 301 Connector. Last departures from the La Plata transfer point will be at 5:30 p.m. for Bryans Road, La Plata and Nanjemoy. Last departure from the La Plata transfer point for Newburg will be at 4:30 p.m.

DC

• D.C. will suspended all parking enforcement except for Streetcar ticketing and towing.
• All COVID-19 service centers and monkeypox walk-in clinics will be open. For a list of locations and hours, visit coronavirus.dc.gov/covidcenters.
• COVID-19 PCR pickup at the Mt. Pleasant Library, MLK Jr. Library, Tenley-Friendship Library, Petworth Library, Woodridge Library, Southwest Library, Benning Library and Anacostia Library will be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• COVID-19 Rapid Antigen pickup at the Mt. Pleasant Library, Petworth Library, Woodridge Library, Southwest Library and Anacostia Library will be available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• The Department of Parks and Recreation said outdoor parks, playgrounds, athletic courts, and fields will be open. All previously permitted events at these locations will take place as scheduled.
• All Department of Motor Vehicles locations will be closed on Saturday, Jan. 14 and Monday, Jan. 16.
• Libraries: The Anacostia Library, Benning (Dorothy I. Height) Library, Mt. Pleasant Library, Petworth Library, Southwest, Tenley-Friendship Library and Woodridge Library will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
• Trash: The city said it will “slide” household trash and recycling collections for the remainder of the week into Saturday. Meanwhile, holiday tree and leaf collection operations will continue. The Benning Road Transfer Station will be closed. The Fort Totten Transfer Station will be open for commercial businesses.

Maryland

• State offices and courts are closed.
• State Motor Vehicle Administration offices and Vehicle Emissions Inspection Program are closed.
• All Alcohol Beverage Services locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Calvert County

• The Appeal Solid Waste Facility, which includes the landfill and transfer station, and all other county customer convenience centers, including the Solomons Septage Receiving Facility will run its normal operating hours.
• All senior centers will be closed and Meals on Wheels will not be delivered.
• Public transportation bus services will be closed.
• Calvert Library locations and Bookmobile services will be closed.
• The Calvert Marine Museum and Museum Store will be open with normal hours.
• The Linda L. Kelley Animal Shelter and Animal Control Division will be closed.
• All community centers will be closed.
• All recreation parks including Dunkirk, Hallowing Point and Cove Point parks will be open with normal winter hours.
• The Chesapeake Hills Golf Course will be open with normal hours, the Flag Ponds Nature Park, Battle Creek Cypress Swamp trails and Kings Landing Park will be open with normal winter hours. The Battle Creek Cypress Swamp nature center is closed until further notice.
• The Edward T. Hall Aquatic Center will be open with normal hours.
• The Breezy Point Beach & Campground remains closed for the season.

Charles County

• The Charles County Animal Care Center in Hughesville is closed.
• The Nanjemoy Community Center and all senior centers and all school-based community centers are closed, but the Waldorf Senior and Recreational Center is open for scheduled recreational activities and programs.
• Curbside recycling will be delayed one day, for the remainder of the week. The county landfill, all recycling centers and the Piney Church Road Mulch Facility are closed.

Frederick County

Howard County

• The animal shelter will be closed.
• There will be regular Monday curbside trash, recycling food scrap and yard trim collection services and the Alpha Ridge Landfill will be open.
• All historic sites in Ellicott City, except the Baltimore & Ohio Ellicott City Station Museum, are closed for weekend tours until the first weekend in May.

Montgomery County

• County-operated COVID-19 vaccination and testing clinics will be closed.
• Public parking garages, lots and curbside meters are free.
• County-provided trash and recycling collections are postponed. Collections will slide one day later than usual throughout the week, with last pickup on Saturday, Jan. 21. The Shady Grove Transfer Station and Recycling Center is closed.
• Aquatic Centers will operate normal hours, but Community Recreation and Senior centers are closed.
• Parks: The Open Parkways program will be extended during the MLK holiday weekend. During this time, parkways are open to pedestrians and bicyclists and closed to motor vehicles. Parkways impacted include Beach Drive between Connecticut and Knowles Avenue, Sligo Creek Parkway, between Old Carroll Avenue and Piney Branch Road and between Forest Glen Road and University Boulevard West. Little Falls Parkway between Arlington Road and Dorset Avenue will be open for recreation and exercise. The Brookside Gardens Visitor Center and Conservatory is closed, but the Gardens remain open.

Prince George’s County

• The Animal Services Facility & Adoption Center at 3750 Brown Station Road is closed.
• There’s no bulky trash collection and the Electronics Recycling Acceptance and Household Hazardous Waste Acceptance sites at the Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill are closed.
• The Brown Station Road Sanitary Landfill and Public Convenience Drop-off Center operates under regular hours.
• There’s regular collection of curbside composting and yard trimmings.
• The Missouri Avenue Solid Waste Acceptance and Recycling Drop-off Center is open.

Virginia

• State offices and courts are closed.
• All DMVandDMV Select offices are closed.
• Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority stores will operate under regular business hours. 

Alexandria

• The Charles Houston, Chinquapin, and Patrick Henry Recreation Centers are open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Torpedo Factory Art Center is open with regular operating hours. All other facilities are closed.
• There are no trash and recycling collections on Monday, and collections from Tuesday through Thursday will shift by one day. The Household Hazardous Waste Electronic Collection Drop-off Center is closed.

Arlington County

• County government offices and services are operating on modified schedules.
• All libraries are closed.
• Permit parking is always in effect unless specifically noted on signage. Meters are not enforced on holidays.
• There will be regular recycling and trash collection.

Fairfax County

• All county government offices are closed Monday, but some facilities will be open with varying schedules.

Loudoun County

• All county government offices, libraries and the Loudoun Workforce Center are closed.

Prince William County

• The county said all government offices, including courts and libraries are closed.
• The Prince William County Landfill and Balls Ford Road Compost Facility will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Stafford County

• All county offices, departments, facilities and all courts will be closed.
• Both locations of the R-Board/Regional Landfill (Eskimo Hill and Belman Road) will be open.
• All outdoor parks are open from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.