Doing Business With The Park

Commercial Use Authorization (CUA)

A Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) is a permit necessary to conduct business in the park in any way. Section 418 of the National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998, Public Law 105–391 (Section 418), authorizes (but does not require) the NPS, upon request, to issue commercial use authorizations (CUAs) to persons (referring to individuals, corporations and other entities) to provide commercial services to park visitors in limited circumstances. CUAs, although used to authorize commercial services to park visitors, are not concession contracts and are not transferable.

CUAs are intended to provide a simple means to authorize the provision of suitable commercial services to park visitors. The CUA legislation contains the following limited circumstances:

  1. do not use fixed commercial facilities within a national park unit,
  2. the commercial activity originates and terminates outside the park area,
  3. no money changes hands on park lands, including park waters, and
  4. no commercial solicitation occurs on park lands, including park waters.

Thank you for your interest in applying to become a Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) vendor within the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area.

As part of a larger effort to streamline and modernize the National Park Service (NPS) commercial use authorization (CUA) program, the NPS has developed on online system designed to process CUA applications and collect required CUA reports. Chattahoochee River NRA will initiate its online system for the 2025 CUA season. For the 2025 CUA season, the standard CUA application fee for all CUAs except road-based commercial tour CUAs will be $350 for the first application submitted by the applicant and $250 for subsequent applications from the same applicant to the same park. Application fees for road-based commercial tour CUAs will not change for the 2025 CUA season.

Thank you again in advance for your support as we launch this on-line system. If you have any questions, please reach out to the CUA coordinator at e-mail us or 770-318-5882.

Link to the online application: https://cua.nps.gov/

Last updated: May 9, 2025

Contact Info

Mailing Address:

1978 Island Ford Parkway
Sandy Springs, GA 30350

Phone:

678-538-1200
Call 770-992-6585 for non-emergency law enforcement assistance for any event that does not pose a direct threat to the health and safety of visitors or employees. Examples of when to call 770-992-6585 are for property crime (car break-ins, vandalism), suspicious activity, or a threat to the park's resources (digging). Dial 911 when there is a direct threat to the health and safety of visitors or employees. Examples of when to dial 911 are for missing person, fire, physical altercation, or injury.

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