Effective January 1, 2023, Bryce Canyon National Park will implement a new fee structure for Commercial Use Authorizations, consistent with the service wide effort to adopt a market price system to recover the costs associated with managing this growing program.
The market price fee is a tiered fee. For example, if a CUA holder grosses $400K for operations within or dependent upon Bryce Canyon NP, they are charged 3% of gross receipts for the first $250K and then 4% for the next $150K. Management Fees will be collected for Gross Receipts earned in 2023 in January of 2024. Payments are due by January 31, 2024 and can be submitted via Pay.gov.
CUA Fees
As per 54 U.S. Code § 101925: “The Secretary shall: require payment of a reasonable fee for issuance of a commercial use authorization, the fees to remain available without further appropriation to be used, at a minimum, to recover associated management and administrative costs;” Thus, all CUA applicants will be required to pay two (2) types of fees: Application Fees and CUA Management Fees. Payment instructions will be posted on the park website.
Required fees for 2024:
$350 Application Fee – mandatory, one-time, non-refundable fee to recover all administrative costs associated with reviewing and approving/denying applications for CUAs.
Management Fee: Covers all CUA management after application approval, this includes correspondence with the CUA holder, in the field monitoring, the mitigation of resource impacts caused by the commercial activity, and annual reporting. The park will collect the management fee based on a Market Price system.
Market Price Fee: A type of Management Fee that is based on the percentage of gross receipts earned from in-park or Bryce Canyon NP park-dependent operations. Application fee is deducted from Market Price fee. The rate table is as follows:
<$250,000
3% of gross receipts (minus application fee)
$250,000 to $500,000
4% of gross receipts (minus application fee)
>$500,000
5% of gross receipts (minus application fee)
Timeline of Requirements
Due to the large volume of applications submitted to the park, a complete application packet must be received by December 15th, 2023, for companies who wish to operate in January of the new CUA year.
Packets are processed in the order in which they are received. Those companies planning to begin operations after January can apply at any time but should allow a minimum of 45 days for processing.
Dates
December 1, 2023 - New online application system goes live. Applications can be submitted starting this day.
December 15, 2023 - Applications for January operations only must be submitted by this date.
January 31, 2024 - Annual report and market price fees due for 2023 operating year.
If you have any questions about these changes, please contact Commercial Services staff at brca_cua@nps.gov.
Overview and How to Apply
Commercial Use Authorizations (CUAs) are limited authorizations to provide specific visitor services within the boundaries of Bryce Canyon National Park for the term of one year or less.Bryce Canyon National Park accepts CUA applications for the following commercial activities:
Bicycle Tours: This commercial service allows groups of bicyclists accompanied by a leader to ride through designated portions of Bryce Canyon National Park.
Hiking/Walking Frontcountry (formerly "Commercial Interpretive Tours"): This commercial service is defined as natural or cultural resource information provided by a designated leader to a specified group of people.
Motorcycle/Scooter Tours: This commercial service allows groups of motorcycles accompanied by a leader to ride through designated portions of Bryce Canyon National Park.
Photography Instruction (formerly "Photography and Painting Workshops"): These workshops are allowed to give technical and artistic instructions on composition of photographs and paintings related to the unique resources protected in Bryce Canyon National Park.
Transport (non-tour) - road, air, water based (formerly "Taxi & Recreational Shuttle Services"): Commercial shuttle service is authorized for the point-to-point transportation and drop-off of passengers in Bryce Canyon National Park at designated parking areas, pullouts, and developed areas.
Complete applications should be submitted a minimum of 45 days in advance of first trip to allow time for processing.
Applications are reviewed in the order they are received; incomplete applications are moved to the bottom of the list after initial review and may take longer than 45 days to be fully executed. Only online application packets will be accepted in 2024. Application packets may no longer be submitted by email or mail.
The following can only be submitted through the online application portal. If you have questions, please email e-mail us. PDF or Word document is the preferred format for all application documents.
Your completed CUA application form.
A current General Liability Certificate of Insurance documenting adequate General Liability coverage for the type of activity you will be conducting. The minimum coverage for commercial use is $1,000,000. The insurance certificate must name "United States of America, Bryce Canyon National Park" as additionally insured.
Current Automobile Liability Insurance that complies with the minimum coverage required based on capacity of each vehicle. The insurance certificate must name "United States of America, Bryce Canyon National Park" as additionally insured. See CUA application for insurance minimum requirements.
A list of all company vehicles including vehicle year, make/model, license number, state issued, passenger capacity, and whether owned, leased or rented.
A list of guides and drivers with additional certification requirements. Guides (and those in driver/guide roles) are required to be basic first aid and CPR certified. Use of guide template is preferred to submit this information
Detailed itinerary including planned dates in the park and intended locations (specific viewpoints, trails, facilities) that will be visited inside the park boundaries. Sample itineraries are acceptable.
Copy of safety briefing or information delivered to guests with information specific to Bryce Canyon National Park, including but not limited to Leave No Trace, high elevation complications, lightning safety, and importance of hydration/salty snacks.
Copy of company Acknowledgement of Risk Form (optional). CUA holders may not require clients to sign a waiver of liability statement or form, insurance disclaimer and/or indemnification agreement. They may request or require clients to sign an acknowledgement of risk statement or form prior to participation. Download an Acknowledgement of Risk template for approved language.
Pay a non-refundable fee of $350 for each CUA application type. The fee must be paid through the online application system. Application packages will not be reviewed without payment. Once payment is received and application is complete, you will receive confirmation that your application packet is being reviewed.
Your CUA is not active until you receive a final signed version.
Frequently Asked Questions
CUA applicants pay a $350 non-refundable CUA fee for each application. CUAs cannot be purchased at the park; applications and payments must be submitted in advance via the online portal. Applications are not accepted by email or mail.
At the end of the year CUA holders will pay a Market Rate Management Fee based on their gross income in the park, see above section. 100% of collected CUA fees stay within the collecting park and are used to recover CUA program costs.
Yes. There is a $20 per-person entrance fee upon entrance to the park; clients may use valid entrance fee receipts or annual and lifetime passes. Drivers and guides of the CUA holder are exempt for this fee. Cash is not accepted at the Bryce Canyon NP entrance fee booths.
CUA holders must submit an annual report each year. This report is due January 31 each year. This report provides the park with visitation statistics, reportable injury data, and a record of annual gross receipts.
The previous year’s Annual Report is due prior to receiving a CUA the following year, and no later than January 31st of each year. If an annual report is not submitted by the annual deadline, a new CUA may not be issued. Market price fees are due at this time as well and must be received before a new CUA will be issued.
The definition of a "Road-based Commercial Tour" is one or more persons traveling by vehicle on an improved roadway:
On an itinerary that someone has packaged and sold for leisure/recreational purposes, and which,
Provides no other services except those incidental to road-based travel in an area unit of the National Park System (on-board interpretation and incidental stops at visitor centers, restaurants, wayside exhibits, etc.).
If guides or staff get off the vehicle with clients and provide information or lead walks/hikes a Hiking/Walking Frontcountry (formerly "Commercial Interpretative Tour") CUA is required.
Transportation-only services such as taxis and shuttles do not meet the definition of Road-based Commercial Tours because those services are not prepackaged.
CUAs for Road-based Commercial Tours
The implementation of standardized Road-based Commercial Tour CUAs is delayed until further notice. Road-based Commercial Tour CUAs will not be issued for Bryce Canyon in 2024. Road-based Commercial Tour companies may continue to enter the park by paying the commercial tour fee at the entrance station.
There are currently no restrictions on commercial tours or guided tours in Bryce Canyon National Park. Commercial operators are expected to follow all local, state, and federal/CDC guidelines.
