Certain types of activities require a special use permit. These include many types of organized gatherings, distribution of printed material and other public expression of opinion, and activities that are controlled or prohibited. See the following definitions and examples to determine if your use might be included.

A special park use activity is one that:

1. provides a benefit to an individual, group or organization rather than the public at large

2. requires written authorization and some degree of management control from the NPS in order to protect park resources and the public interest

3. is not prohibited by law or regulation

4. is neither initiated, sponsored nor conducted by the NPS

5. does not include any activity managed under the Concessions Policy Act, the National Historic Preservation Act, or the National Park Omnibus Management Act of 1998

6. is not a recreation use covered by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA).

A few examples of a special park use are: conducting a wedding ceremony within a park; conducting commercial filming or still photography within a park; trespassing cattle through a park; demonstrating (First Amendment, U.S. Constitution) within a park; establishing a water ski slalom course; etc.

For more information on special park uses and permit applications, see below:

Letter to Applicants 25kb PDF

Application for Special Use Permit - General 81.8 kb PDF

Application for Commercial Filming or Still Photography - Long Form 65.1 kb PDF

Application for Commercial Filming or Still Photography - Short Form 58.8 kb PDF