Vehicle Testing

Death Valley National Park has issued special use permits to the automobile industry for a number of years to allow heat testing in its unique climate. All applications must be submitted at least 30 days in advance of testing. If you have tested in the past, please read the information below carefully as our requirements for application have changed. If you would like to apply for a permit to test vehicles you must submit an application along with the following materials:

Company Umbrella Permit

An application package must be submitted by any company planning to send trip leaders into Death Valley National Park to test vehicles. The resultant permit will cover all trip leaders with bond and liability insurance. It will be valid for one year. Please submit the following items

• An application.
• An application processing/monitoring fee of $300.00 ($210.00 application processing fee + $90.00 monitoring fee).
  Please make checks payable to:
  NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
• A $5,000.00 bond.
  The bond should be issued by a bonding company and valid through 12/31/2013. The original signed bond will be held on file in the Death Office of Special Park Uses. A list of eligible bonding companies may be found on Treasury Circular 570
• Liability Insurance Certificate listing Death Valley Natonal Park; National Park Service; United States of America as "Additional Insured" with a minimum of $1,000,000 of liability coverage.
• Please mail the complete application package to:
  Death Valley National Park
  ATTN: Office of Special Park Uses
  PO Box 579 (or 271 Highway 190 for courier services)
  Death Valley, CA 92328

Trip Leader Application Package

An application package must also be submitted by each trip leader. The resultant permit will cover only the trips that individual leads into the park during the testing season. It will be valid for one year. For Individual Trip Leader Permit please submit:

• An application Please list all company information as well as personal information on application.
• Leave No Trace and Entrance Fee Certification
• An application processing fee of $100.00.
  Please make checks payable to:
  NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
• A copy of the company's umbrella permit.

For a Testing Trip

• Faxed test trip data sheets will no longer be accepted.
• Each trip leader must email a Vehicle Test Trip Data Sheet (VTTDS) to the Office of Special Park Uses. The VTTDS must be emailed to the Office of Special Park Uses at least 7 days prior to the trip. This will ensure that your test trip is included in the weekly law enforcement update and that the visitor center will be prepared for your arrival when you check in.
• Visitor Center/Fee Sticker: Teams are required to get a colored window sticker for each vehicle at the visitor center when they arrive in the park.
• To begin testing each test vehicle must have a paper copy of the fully executed company umbrella permit, a paper copy of the fully executed trip leader permit, a copy of the test trip data sheet, and a window sticker. If vehicles do not have these items in each car, they will not be permitted to test. The visitor center will not make copies of these documents. Trip leaders may have to travel as far as 60 miles one way to make necessary copies if these are not printed in advance.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Office of Special Park Uses.

Our mailing address is:
Death Valley National Park
ATTN: Office of Special Park Uses
PO Box 579
Death Valley, CA 92328

Our courrier services address:
Death Valley National Park
ATTN: Office of Special Park Uses
271 Highway 190
Death Valley, CA 92328