While these are general answers to some of our most frequently asked questions, please contact your FLP regional representative for specific questions relating to your properties.
Surplus federal land is real property owned and administered by the United States of America (federal government) that it no longer requires. If a federal agency no longer needs some of its land or a building (e.g. a former USARC), the General Services Administration will first determine if another federal agency is interested in acquiring the property at fair market value. If there is no interest, the General Services Administration may designate the property as "surplus property."
Once designated as surplus property, the General Services Administration may make the property available to states and local governments for select public purposes, such as parks and recreation through the National Park Service Federal Lands to Parks program.
Note: This category of property does not include public domain, national forest, or national park lands.
Only states, counties, municipalities, and similar government entities may acquire surplus federal property to be used for park and recreational use through the National Park Service Federal Lands to Parks program. No preference is given to any particular level of government.
Private and nonprofit organizations, religious institutions, and individuals are not eligible to acquire surplus federal land through the Federal Lands to Parks program. However, these organizations may act as advocates for state and local governments.
A great variety of surplus property may be available from any department of the federal government, including military bases, Army Corps of Engineers water control projects, and former Army reserve sites. Surplus property can range in area, containing less than an acre to thousands of acres. Surplus property may be located in rural or urban areas and consist of open space, forests, wetlands, lakes, or shorelines.
Surplus property may contain existing recreational facilities, such as athletic fields, basketball, and tennis courts, fitness centers, playgrounds, and swimming pools. Or, the surplus property and its facilities may be abandoned and in need of repair or improvement before it can accommodate public use. As each community's needs are unique, so is each available surplus property.
The General Services Administration will issue notices of available surplus property as they become available. NPS Federal Lands to Parks staff review these notices and reach out to state and local governments to determine if there is interest in acquiring the surplus property for park and recreational use.
Communities can also find a list of available surplus properties and learn more about other ways to acquire surplus property through the General Services Administration website.
Communities can also find a list of available surplus properties and learn more about other ways to acquire surplus property through the General Services Administration website.
By law, surplus property acquired through the NPS Federal Lands to Parks program must be used for public park and recreational use for current and future generations. It may be used for one or more recreational activities. Former surplus properties used for park and recreational use have been transformed and adapted for use as a community center, a neighborhood park, a town or city square, or a regional or state park.
Typical recreational uses include walking, biking, camping, picnicking, hunting, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, swimming, boating, tennis, golf, hiking and playing certain types of organized sports. If appropriate, and as long as the property remains open to the public, the surplus property may be minimally developed for passive recreational use, such as bird watching, photography, or wildlife conservation.
The National Park Service Federal Land to Parks program generally conveys land through the program at no cost to the applicant in return for the benefits gained by its public use. The applicant, however, is responsible for the costs of preparing the application which may include the preparation of land surveys, title searches, and site development plans. By acquiring property through the Federal Lands to Parks Program, the applicant promises to commit the funds necessary to properly operate and maintain the property for public park and recreational use.
The NPS Federal Lands to Parks program must approve the application in writing and recommend the transfer from the federal government to the applicant.
The General Services Administration or the Department of Defense, for military properties disposed of through the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act, makes the final decision based on the recommendation by the National Park Service Federal Lands to Parks program.
The Bureau of Outdoor Recreation (BOR) and the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service (HCRS) are former federal agencies and are no longer active. The National Park Service Federal Lands to Parks program has subsumed the responsibilities of BOR and HCRS as it related to properties deeded for public park and recreation purposes. NPS Federal Lands to Parks should be contacted for any questions related to these properties.
Contact the appropriate Program Manager based on the region you are located. If the property was deeded for "historic monument" purposes, you should contact the National Park Service Historic Surplus Property Program.
Last updated: April 1, 2025