diff --git a/server/manager/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/tableOps/bulkVer2/LoadFiles.java b/server/manager/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/tableOps/bulkVer2/LoadFiles.java
index dfa4b982789..8cd5af62817 100644
--- a/server/manager/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/tableOps/bulkVer2/LoadFiles.java
+++ b/server/manager/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/tableOps/bulkVer2/LoadFiles.java
@@ -366,16 +366,24 @@ static long loadFiles(Loader loader, BulkInfo bulkInfo, Path bulkDir,
 
     ImportTimingStats importTimingStats = new ImportTimingStats();
     Timer timer = Timer.startNew();
-    try (TabletsMetadata tabletsMetadata = factory.newTabletsMetadata(startRow)) {
-
-      Iterator<TabletMetadata> tabletIter = tabletsMetadata.iterator();
-      while (lmi.hasNext()) {
-        loadMapEntry = lmi.next();
-        List<TabletMetadata> tablets =
-            findOverlappingTablets(fmtTid, loadMapEntry.getKey(), tabletIter, importTimingStats);
-        loader.load(tablets, loadMapEntry.getValue());
+    KeyExtent prevLastExtent = null; // KeyExtent of last tablet from prior loadMapEntry
+
+    TabletsMetadata tabletsMetadata = factory.newTabletsMetadata(startRow);
+    Iterator<TabletMetadata> tabletIter = tabletsMetadata.iterator();
+    while (lmi.hasNext()) {
+      loadMapEntry = lmi.next();
+      KeyExtent loadMapKey = loadMapEntry.getKey();
+      if (prevLastExtent != null && !loadMapKey.isPreviousExtent(prevLastExtent)) {
+        tabletsMetadata.close();
+        tabletsMetadata = factory.newTabletsMetadata(startRow);
+        tabletIter = tabletsMetadata.iterator();
       }
+      List<TabletMetadata> tablets =
+          findOverlappingTablets(fmtTid, loadMapEntry.getKey(), tabletIter, importTimingStats);
+      loader.load(tablets, loadMapEntry.getValue());
+      prevLastExtent = tablets.get(tablets.size() - 1).getExtent();
     }
+    tabletsMetadata.close();
     Duration totalProcessingTime = timer.elapsed();
 
     log.trace("{}: Completed Finding Overlapping Tablets", fmtTid);
diff --git a/server/manager/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/tableOps/bulkVer2/PrepBulkImport.java b/server/manager/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/tableOps/bulkVer2/PrepBulkImport.java
index 56116365b49..165785991bb 100644
--- a/server/manager/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/tableOps/bulkVer2/PrepBulkImport.java
+++ b/server/manager/src/main/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/tableOps/bulkVer2/PrepBulkImport.java
@@ -104,6 +104,8 @@ public long isReady(long tid, Manager manager) throws Exception {
   @VisibleForTesting
   interface TabletIterFactory {
     Iterator<KeyExtent> newTabletIter(Text startRow);
+
+    void close();
   }
 
   private static boolean equals(Function<KeyExtent,Text> extractor, KeyExtent ke1, KeyExtent ke2) {
@@ -123,75 +125,81 @@ static KeyExtent validateLoadMapping(String tableId, LoadMappingIterator lmi,
 
     Iterator<KeyExtent> tabletIter = tabletIterFactory.newTabletIter(startRow);
 
-    KeyExtent currTablet = tabletIter.next();
+    try {
+      KeyExtent currTablet = tabletIter.next();
 
-    var fileCounts = new HashMap<String,Integer>();
-    int count;
+      var fileCounts = new HashMap<String,Integer>();
+      int count;
 
-    KeyExtent firstTablet = currRange.getKey();
-    KeyExtent lastTablet = currRange.getKey();
+      KeyExtent firstTablet = currRange.getKey();
+      KeyExtent lastTablet = currRange.getKey();
 
-    if (!tabletIter.hasNext() && equals(KeyExtent::prevEndRow, currTablet, currRange.getKey())
-        && equals(KeyExtent::endRow, currTablet, currRange.getKey())) {
-      currRange = null;
-    }
+      if (!tabletIter.hasNext() && equals(KeyExtent::prevEndRow, currTablet, currRange.getKey())
+          && equals(KeyExtent::endRow, currTablet, currRange.getKey())) {
+        currRange = null;
+      }
 
-    while (tabletIter.hasNext()) {
+      while (tabletIter.hasNext()) {
 
-      if (currRange == null) {
-        if (!lmi.hasNext()) {
-          break;
+        if (currRange == null) {
+          if (!lmi.hasNext()) {
+            break;
+          }
+          currRange = lmi.next();
+          lastTablet = currRange.getKey();
         }
-        currRange = lmi.next();
-        lastTablet = currRange.getKey();
-      }
 
-      while (!equals(KeyExtent::prevEndRow, currTablet, currRange.getKey())
-          && tabletIter.hasNext()) {
-        currTablet = tabletIter.next();
-      }
+        while (!equals(KeyExtent::prevEndRow, currTablet, currRange.getKey())
+            && tabletIter.hasNext()) {
+          currTablet = tabletIter.next();
+        }
 
-      boolean matchedPrevRow = equals(KeyExtent::prevEndRow, currTablet, currRange.getKey());
+        boolean matchedPrevRow = equals(KeyExtent::prevEndRow, currTablet, currRange.getKey());
 
-      if (matchedPrevRow && firstTablet == null) {
-        firstTablet = currTablet;
-      }
+        if (matchedPrevRow && firstTablet == null) {
+          firstTablet = currTablet;
+        }
 
-      count = matchedPrevRow ? 1 : 0;
+        count = matchedPrevRow ? 1 : 0;
+
+        while (!equals(KeyExtent::endRow, currTablet, currRange.getKey()) && tabletIter.hasNext()) {
+          currTablet = tabletIter.next();
+          count++;
+        }
+
+        if (!matchedPrevRow || !equals(KeyExtent::endRow, currTablet, currRange.getKey())) {
+          break;
+        }
 
-      while (!equals(KeyExtent::endRow, currTablet, currRange.getKey()) && tabletIter.hasNext()) {
-        currTablet = tabletIter.next();
-        count++;
+        if (maxNumTablets > 0) {
+          int fc = count;
+          currRange.getValue()
+              .forEach(fileInfo -> fileCounts.merge(fileInfo.getFileName(), fc, Integer::sum));
+        }
+        currRange = null;
       }
 
-      if (!matchedPrevRow || !equals(KeyExtent::endRow, currTablet, currRange.getKey())) {
-        break;
+      if (currRange != null || lmi.hasNext()) {
+        // merge happened after the mapping was generated and before the table lock was acquired
+        throw new AcceptableThriftTableOperationException(tableId, null, TableOperation.BULK_IMPORT,
+            TableOperationExceptionType.BULK_CONCURRENT_MERGE, "Concurrent merge happened");
       }
 
       if (maxNumTablets > 0) {
-        int fc = count;
-        currRange.getValue()
-            .forEach(fileInfo -> fileCounts.merge(fileInfo.getFileName(), fc, Integer::sum));
+        fileCounts.values().removeIf(c -> c <= maxNumTablets);
+        if (!fileCounts.isEmpty()) {
+          throw new AcceptableThriftTableOperationException(tableId, null,
+              TableOperation.BULK_IMPORT, TableOperationExceptionType.OTHER,
+              "Files overlap the configured max (" + maxNumTablets + ") number of tablets: "
+                  + new TreeMap<>(fileCounts));
+        }
       }
-      currRange = null;
-    }
 
-    if (currRange != null || lmi.hasNext()) {
-      // merge happened after the mapping was generated and before the table lock was acquired
-      throw new AcceptableThriftTableOperationException(tableId, null, TableOperation.BULK_IMPORT,
-          TableOperationExceptionType.BULK_CONCURRENT_MERGE, "Concurrent merge happened");
-    }
+      return new KeyExtent(firstTablet.tableId(), lastTablet.endRow(), firstTablet.prevEndRow());
 
-    if (maxNumTablets > 0) {
-      fileCounts.values().removeIf(c -> c <= maxNumTablets);
-      if (!fileCounts.isEmpty()) {
-        throw new AcceptableThriftTableOperationException(tableId, null, TableOperation.BULK_IMPORT,
-            TableOperationExceptionType.OTHER, "Files overlap the configured max (" + maxNumTablets
-                + ") number of tablets: " + new TreeMap<>(fileCounts));
-      }
+    } finally {
+      tabletIterFactory.close();
     }
-
-    return new KeyExtent(firstTablet.tableId(), lastTablet.endRow(), firstTablet.prevEndRow());
   }
 
   private KeyExtent checkForMerge(final long tid, final Manager manager) throws Exception {
@@ -205,10 +213,24 @@ private KeyExtent checkForMerge(final long tid, final Manager manager) throws Ex
     try (LoadMappingIterator lmi =
         BulkSerialize.readLoadMapping(bulkDir.toString(), bulkInfo.tableId, fs::open)) {
 
-      TabletIterFactory tabletIterFactory =
-          startRow -> TabletsMetadata.builder(manager.getContext()).forTable(bulkInfo.tableId)
-              .overlapping(startRow, null).checkConsistency().fetch(PREV_ROW).build().stream()
-              .map(TabletMetadata::getExtent).iterator();
+      TabletIterFactory tabletIterFactory = new TabletIterFactory() {
+
+        TabletsMetadata tm = null;
+
+        @Override
+        public Iterator<KeyExtent> newTabletIter(Text startRow) {
+          tm = TabletsMetadata.builder(manager.getContext()).forTable(bulkInfo.tableId)
+              .overlapping(startRow, null).checkConsistency().fetch(PREV_ROW).build();
+          return tm.stream().map(TabletMetadata::getExtent).iterator();
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void close() {
+          if (tm != null) {
+            tm.close();
+          }
+        }
+      };
 
       return validateLoadMapping(bulkInfo.tableId.canonical(), lmi, tabletIterFactory, maxTablets,
           tid);
diff --git a/server/manager/src/test/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/tableOps/bulkVer2/PrepBulkImportTest.java b/server/manager/src/test/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/tableOps/bulkVer2/PrepBulkImportTest.java
index 9ff5945e219..4d21d4e5841 100644
--- a/server/manager/src/test/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/tableOps/bulkVer2/PrepBulkImportTest.java
+++ b/server/manager/src/test/java/org/apache/accumulo/manager/tableOps/bulkVer2/PrepBulkImportTest.java
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.HashSet;
+import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Optional;
@@ -96,21 +97,28 @@ private void runTest(List<KeyExtent> loadRanges, List<KeyExtent> tabletRanges) t
 
   public void runTest(Map<KeyExtent,String> loadRanges, List<KeyExtent> tabletRanges,
       int maxTablets) throws Exception {
-    TabletIterFactory tabletIterFactory = startRow -> {
-      int start = -1;
-
-      if (startRow == null) {
-        start = 0;
-      } else {
-        for (int i = 0; i < tabletRanges.size(); i++) {
-          if (tabletRanges.get(i).contains(startRow)) {
-            start = i;
-            break;
+    TabletIterFactory tabletIterFactory = new TabletIterFactory() {
+
+      @Override
+      public Iterator<KeyExtent> newTabletIter(Text startRow) {
+        int start = -1;
+
+        if (startRow == null) {
+          start = 0;
+        } else {
+          for (int i = 0; i < tabletRanges.size(); i++) {
+            if (tabletRanges.get(i).contains(startRow)) {
+              start = i;
+              break;
+            }
           }
         }
+
+        return tabletRanges.subList(start, tabletRanges.size()).iterator();
       }
 
-      return tabletRanges.subList(start, tabletRanges.size()).iterator();
+      @Override
+      public void close() {}
     };
 
     var sortedExtents = loadRanges.keySet().stream().sorted().collect(Collectors.toList());