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.
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 2023:
$250 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)
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.
Timeline of Requirements
Due to the large volume of applications submitted to the park, a complete application packet must be received by November 30th, 2022, from companies who wish to operate in January 2023.
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
October 15th 2022 – Applications for the 2023 operating year will begin to be accepted
November 30th, 2022 – Applications for Companies looking to operating in January of 2023 must be submitted
January 31st 2023– 2022 Financial Report is due
January 31st 2024 – 2023 Financial Report is due with Market Price Management Fee
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.
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 Tours: This commercial service allows groups of motorcycles accompanied by a leader to ride through designated portions of Bryce Canyon National Park.
Photography or 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.
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 45 days in advance of first trip for timely 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.The application period opens on October 15th each year. The 2022 Annual report form is now available. Only electronic application packets will be accepted by email in 2023.
Pay a non-refundable fee of $250 for each type of commercial service you plan to provide. Application packages will not be reviewed without payment received. The fee must be paid via through Pay.gov. The Pay.gov platform can accept payments from debit or credit card, PayPal, Amazon, and Bank Account (ACH). Please contact the Commercial Services office at brca_cua@nps.gov for a BRCA Permit Number before attempting to pay your fees via Pay.gov
Email a copy of your Pay.gov receipt to brca_cua@nps.gov with your other application documents.
Step 3:
The following must be submitted electronically to our commercial services office via email. Please try to avoid sending “zipped” files, and do not send links to a shared drive such as Google docs or OneDrive. Separate attachments in a Word, Excel, or PDF format are best. Non-electronic submissions must be approved in advance and will be handled on a case-by-case basis. If you have questions, please call 435-834-4730.
Your completed CUA application.
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 the "United States of America, Bryce Canyon National Park" as an additional insured.
Current Automobile Liability Insurance that complies with the minimum coverage required based on capacity of each vehicle. The insurance certificate must name the "United States of America, Bryce Canyon National Park" as additional insured. See CUA application for minimums.
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 required information. The optional template is recommended guide template (12kb, excel) to provide that information. Please do not send photos or scanned images of actual driver’s licenses, just fill in the template with the required info. Guides (and those in driver/guide roles) are required to be basic first aid and CPR certified.
Detailed itinerary including dates in the park and intended locations (viewpoint, trails, facilities) that will be visited inside the park boundaries. Sample itineraries are acceptable.
Copy of safety 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. 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 a sample Acknowledgement of Risk. This is an optional step that only applies to those applicants who want this type document.
Add brca_cua@nps.gov to your contacts list so our emails won't go to a Junk folder or bounce back. We will reach out by email with questions during document review or when we are ready to get your signature on the CUA before getting the superintendent's signature.
Frequently Asked Questions
CUA applicants pay an annual $250 non-refundable CUA fee for each requested activity. CUAs cannot be purchased at the park; applications must be submitted in advance by e-mail to brca_cua@nps.gov
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. Please check back soon for the 2022 reporting form.
The 2022 Annual Report is due prior to receiving a 2023 CUA, and no later than January 31st, 2023. If a 2022 Annual Report is not submitted by January 31st, a 2023 CUA may not 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 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 in 2023. Road-based Commercial Tour companies may continue to enter the park by paying the commercial tour fee at the entrance station.
If you are a Road-based Commercial Tour operator and would like to receive communication from the park regarding operational changes, please submit a Road Based Tours Contact Form or email us with your business name, contact name, address, phone number, and email address.
Point of Contact
Bryce Canyon Commercial Services Office
CUA Coordinator
Email: brca_cua@nps.gov
Office: (435) 834-4730
Mailing Address: Bryce Canyon National Park, Attn: CUA Coordinator, P.O. Box 640201, Bryce, UT 84764-0201
Last updated: December 7, 2022
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Contact Info
Mailing Address:
P.O Box 640201
Bryce,
UT
84764
Phone:
435 834-5322
Phones are answered and messages returned as soon as possible as staffing allows.
