Section 418 of the National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998, Public Law 105-391 (Section 418), authorizes the National Park Service (NPS) to issue commercial use authorizations (CUAs) to persons (referring to individuals, corporations, and other entities) to provide commercial services to park area visitors in limited circumstances. CUAs provide a means to authorize suitable commercial services to visitors in park areas. The CUA is used to provide for incidental use of park area resources by operators who provide commercial services. Prior to 2007, these services were typically authorized by the Incidental Business Permit (IBP).
The permit system will apply to all companies providing commercial visitor services to units of the National Park System, including taxi services providing tours.
