Permits Certain activities within all National Park Service areas require a special use permit. This enables the National Park Service to ensure safety and also monitor and regulate the use of parks while it simultaneously conserves the scenery, natural and historic objects, and wildlife within park boundaries You generally do NOT need a permit for your personal, noncommercial filming and photography activities within normal visitation areas and hours. However, filming outside normal visitation hours and all commercial filming requires a permit. Please see the "Definitions and Requirements" section for more information. Note: Please submit your special use permit application at least one month before the date of your desired activity. Do NOT submit an application before emailing Anne DeGraaf to discuss your desired activity. It's possible that we might not be able to honor your request, and/or your desired date/time/location is already taken. Commercial Use Authorizations (CUAs): Section 418 of the National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998, Public Law 105-391, authorizes (but does not require) NPS, upon request, to issue commercial use authorizations 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. They are intended to provide a simple means to authorize suitable commercial services to visitors in the park in the limited circumstances in the legislation. Note that it is extremely uncommon for Morristown National Historical Park to issue a CUA. Contact Anne DeGraaf with questions you have regarding CUAs. You can contact Anne at anne_degraaf@nps.gov Costs and Process Applications require a $75.00 non-refundable application fee. Other fees may apply as well. Information provided on applications is used to determine whether a permit will be issued. You will be notified of the disposition of the application and the steps to secure a final permit. Please allow a minimum of four weeks for processing. Application for Still Photography
DEFINITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS Special Activities, Wedding Photos, Weddings, and Other Portrait Photography A special activity, or special park use, is a short-term activity that takes place in a park area and:
Please note that ALL wedding photos and weddings require a permit and can only occur at the Cross Estate Gardens area of Morristown National Historical Park. Please use the standard Special Use Permit application form 10-930 for wedding photo and wedding requests. Other portrait photography sessions (e.g., family portraits, engagement and anniversary photos, etc.) might or might not require a permit, depending upon the activity's potential to damage the natural and cultural resources, be disruptive to other visitors, or need to be managed. If the event is determined to not need a permit, you will still be asked to agree to a list of conditions to help protect the park's natural and cultural resources. First Amendment Rights Groups of less than 25 participants may exercise their First Amendment Rights without a permit. These small groups may assemble peacefully, however, they must be in a designated First Amendment area. These areas are designated to protect the safety of the participants, as well as park visitors and park resources. For a list of these locations, please see the Superintendent's Compendium. Groups larger than 25 participants may still exercise their rights, however a permit with conditions will be required. There are no fees or cost recovery associated with permits issued for First Amendment assemblies. Conditions are required to protect the participants as well as park visitors and park resources. In no way will conditions be imposed to restrict the rights of the permit holder. The National Park Service is content neutral in regards to any First Amendment Activity.
Group Reservations
Ford Mansion tours can be reserved by groups via the following guidelines: (note: this does not include school groups. Please visit our Education page for school group information)
Group Size
To make a group reservation request, please contact our Reservation Coordinator via email.
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Last updated: March 1, 2021