After you check to see if your activity meets the general guidelines and you review the information explaining the park's special event management , your next step in optaining a Special Use Permit is completing and submitting an application form. Your application will then be reviewed and evaluated by the park.

Park staff are required to evaluate thoroughly in the context of guidelines, policy, and regulations – including Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) -- each request to conduct a special event.

One of the next steps in the review process is checking the availability of your prospective date and location. To avoid any potential scheduling conflicts, the park maintains a yearly calendar of all special events held in the park. All requests for event dates are issued on a first-come, first-served basis; however, the park reserves several dates for park-sponsored public events (such as Brigade Encampment, Soldiers Bivouac and Candlelight Tour) and also issues a number of Special Use Permits on an annual basis, such as the Fourth of July Festival.

The NPS cannot issue additional Special Use Permits for park sites that are already affected by annual or previously scheduled events.

Now that you have an overview of the permitting process, you are ready for an application form. To request a Special Use Permit application form, please call the park's Visitor Center Information Desk at 360-816-6230, stop by our Visitor Center at 612 East Reserve Street in Vancouver, WA, or click here or the link below to navigate to the webpage with electronic Permit Application Forms available for download.

Permit Application Forms