Guest Policy
General Provisions
The security and safety of Museum of the Bible’s guests, volunteers, staff, and collections are of the highest importance. The museum has adopted and will enforce rules and regulations that may be necessary and appropriate to provide a safe and secure environment.
The museum may amend, modify, or withdraw any of their rules and regulations at any time if the organization deems it in its best interest to do so. As a private institution, the museum may exercise the foregoing rights at any time without notice and without liability.
Rules and Regulations
The following rules and regulations are deemed necessary to ensure the orderly and safe operation of MOTB property.
Access to Museum of the Bible
Access to administrative facilities or restricted areas is limited to authorized museum staff only. The museum reserves the right to limit access to any of its public facilities and guest areas as it deems fit. The museum reserves the right to limit, on an as-needed basis, the length of time guests can spend on its property. The museum reserves the right to close any or all its public spaces due to severe weather or other causes, as needed, and without advanced notice.
Trespassing
Trespassing, entering, or remaining in or upon the museum property not open to the public, except with the express consent of the museum staff, is prohibited. Any access onto or within any adjacent area under construction or closed to the public is also prohibited.
Storage Services
All museum guests must check umbrellas and any other objects deemed by museum staff to be a danger to the exhibits and/or artifacts at Coat Check. The museum will provide limited storage for allowable guests’ belongings at the Coat Check located off the Grand Hall. All items must be retrieved from Coat Check no later than 15 minutes prior to the closing of the museum.
Unattended bags or belongings found anywhere on the museum property will be subject to search and removal by the museum's Security staff. The museum is not responsible for unattended bags or belongings.
Public Restroom Access
Access to public restrooms inside the museum is intended for museum guests only.
Restroom access for non-museum ticket holders in extenuating situations may be granted at the sole discretion of the museum Security staff. In such cases, the guest must enter through the main public entrance on 4th Street, pass through security screening, and be escorted to/from the restroom area by the museum Security staff.
Re-Entry Into the Museum
Guests are welcome to leave the museum and re-enter for any reason within the same day of their visit. Guests must re-enter via the main public entrance on 4th Street SW and proceed through the Security Vestibule for another security screening. Once the security screening is complete, follow the signs to the end of the Ticketing counter and show your ticket to a Guest Relations Associate for access to the exhibit areas. Please visit the Ticketing counter if you have lost your ticket or have any additional questions.
Conformity with Official Signage
While on museum property, guests shall comply with all official posted signs and regulations.
Interfering with Museum Staff Functions
Violating the order of or preventing the execution of duties by museum staff in any capacity is prohibited.
Threatening, resisting, intimidating, or intentionally interfering with museum staff is prohibited.
Failure to obey an order to leave museum property, or to re-enter museum property after being removed, is also prohibited.
Tours
The museum does not permit any unauthorized individual or group of individuals to gather, conduct, or sell paid tours inside of the museum.
Groups who have paid their museum admission fee may conduct tours for members of their group. These tours must adhere to and are subject to all other museum guidelines.
The museum does not sanction the content or accuracy of any information provided on any tour that is not conducted by a Museum of the Bible tour guide.
Report of Injury or Damage
All persons suffering bodily injury on museum property, or having knowledge of damage to museum property, are required to report the occurrence(s) to museum staff immediately following the incident. Providing a false report to museum staff is prohibited.
Prohibited Behavior and Disorderly Conduct
Appropriate behavior and conduct is required to provide an informative and meaningful experience for all guests.
Dismissal from museum is warranted upon determination by museum staff that a guest has engaged in disorderly or prohibited conduct. Disorderly conduct may include, but is not limited to, any of the following prohibited acts by guests occurring anywhere on Museum of the Bible property:
- Any conduct or behavior deemed inappropriate by museum staff
- The museum does not permit any unauthorized individual or group of individuals to gather, conduct, or sell paid tours inside of the museum. See "Tours" section above for more information.
- Engaging in sporting and recreational activities
- Making noise that is unreasonable, or behaving in a way that is inappropriate (loud, abusive, or otherwise improper language, or performing or engaging in obscene or indecent acts)
- Engaging in fighting, violent, or threatening behavior
- Engaging in commercial activities, soliciting, leafleting, hand billing, and/or vending
- Loitering or sleeping (including on any of the benches inside the building)
- Bathing
- For safety and health reasons, appropriate attire and shoes must be worn at all times.
- Obstructing the use of public areas such as entrances, foyers, lobbies, corridors, concourses, offices, elevators, stairways, roadways, driveways, hallways, or walkways
- Throwing or dropping any items from or at buildings or persons, or from or at any of the museum overlook levels
- Interfering with or obstructing authorized vehicular traffic
- Impeding or threatening the security of persons or property
- Willfully defacing, destroying, damaging, or removing museum property
- Smoking (including e-cigarettes and vapors) is prohibited inside the museum and within 25 feet of museum entrances
- Gambling
- Use of lighters, matches, and candles
- Tampering with, damaging, and/or removing any museum property including, but not limited to, exhibit and or artifact elements
- Demonstrations, protests, or rallies (or display and/or carry placards, signs, banners, barriers, or balloons)
- Littering
- Eating and/or drinking inside the museum except in designated areas
- Spitting
- Use of tripods, monopods, and selfie sticks
Security Screening and Prohibited Items
All guests and baggage are subject to security screening. Please consider leaving any prohibited or oversized items at home or at the hotel to speed entry. Permissible baggage, handbags, backpacks, shopping bags, and belongings for guests is limited to 8” x 17” x 19” per item. No baggage larger than 8” x 17” x 19” will be permitted into the museum.
All museum guests will pass through magnetometers. Alternative screening techniques, including hand-wanding, are also available.
Guests are prohibited from bringing the following items onto Museum of the Bible property:
- Any item deemed inappropriate by museum staff
- Marking instruments including spray paint, liquid paint, glass cutters and/or other items that could be used to mark, dye/color, scratch, gouge or otherwise deface property by mechanical or chemical means
- Hazardous materials of any kind
- Weapons and tools, including firearms, realistic replicas of firearms (to include toy guns), ammunition, stun guns, large cutting devices, razor blade tools, knives or scissors (with pointed tips) with a blade that is larger than 2.5”, brass knuckles (to include belt buckles resembling brass knuckles), any martial arts weapon(s), slapjacks
- Disabling chemicals, including mace, pepper spray, tear gas, chlorine, liquid bleach, or compressed gasses.
- Explosives, including fireworks
- Noise making or amplification devices, including but not limited to, radios, bull horns, and musical instruments
- Alcoholic beverages (factory sealed containers will be allowed to be stored at Coat Check)
- Controlled substances or narcotics the use of which is strictly prohibited by governmental regulation
- Glass bottles
- Placards, signs, posters, banners, barriers, balloons, rope, wire of any kind, tape or any device used to attach or hang posters onto any structure
- Animals/Pets (Except for service animals)
- Food and/or drink (except for water in a sealed container)
- Bicycles, skateboards, or recreational scooters (powered or manual)
- Coolers of any size
- Any flags on poles or sticks that cannot be stored in a backpack
- Any other potentially dangerous instruments, armaments or devices which can cause bodily harm to guests, museum staff, or others, and/or physical harm to museum property; or any items specifically prohibited to possess as per law in Washington, DC
Photography, Videography, and Audio Recordings
Museum staff reserves the right to refuse access and/or photo, video, or audio recording rights to any guest or group, at anytime, anywhere on museum property.
Any guests on museum property, including members of the press/news media, must respect all other guests, and must also realize that not all guests wish to be photographed, videotaped, recorded, or bothered in any other manner.
The following are prohibited on museum property, unless otherwise authorized by the museum’s Communications Department:
- Taking photographs, videos, and/or audio recordings for advertising or commercial purposes, which includes, but is not limited to, publishing, selling, reproducing, transferring, distributing, or otherwise commercially exploiting the recorded media in any manner whatsoever
- Using tripods and/or professional camera and/or audio recording equipment
- If professional camera and/or audio recording equipment is officially authorized for use on museum property, then it is done so on-site at the discretion of museum Security staff.
Inside the museum, personal photos, video, and/or audio recordings are permitted for private, noncommercial use only, with one exception noted below, and in all cases so long as the activity does not impede pedestrian traffic in any way:
- The use of a flash is prohibited in all museum areas.
Animals and Pets Access
Animals and pets are not allowed on, or inside, museum property (except for service animals).
Sanitation and Refuse
All guests on museum property must dispose of personal refuse and items for recycling in designated receptacles only. Removing objects from trash receptacles is prohibited.
Museum of the Bible Artifacts and Exhibitions
Touching any artifact or exhibition item inside the museum is prohibited, unless expressly authorized by museum staff, or as posted.
Willful Violation
Any person who violates any provision of Museum of the Bible Guest Rules and Regulations is subject to dismissal from the museum property. In such cases where warranted, the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC) will be contacted for assistance and criminal charges filed.
Emergencies
To report an emergency or suspicious item or activity (See Something, Say Something), immediately inform the nearest security officer or staff member.