National Park Service
What to Know for 2026 and Beyond
The National Park Service has improved consistency and processes by standardizing road-based commercial tour (RBCT) Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) requirements, implementing an agency wide RBCT CUA fee structure, and launching an online CUA system for RBCT CUAs. National Park Service solicited public comments on its plan from June 26, 2024, through Aug 10, 2024.
How are RBCT CUAs Defined?
Starting for the 2026 CUA season, RBCT CUA will be defined as:
One or more persons traveling within a single 16+ passenger capacity vehicle on an improved roadway on an itinerary sold for leisure/recreational/educational purposes. RBCT CUA holders provide no other services except those that are 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.). At the discretion of the area superintendent, CUAs issued for RBCTs may cover minor additional services such as guided day hiking.
Transportation-only services such as taxis, shuttles, and on demand ridesharing services do not meet the definition of RBCT CUAs unless those services are sold for leisure/recreational/educational purposes. Also, operators who travel within a single vehicle with less than 16 passenger capacity vehicle on an itinerary sold for leisure/recreational/educational purposes do not meet the definition of RBCT CUA.
Does Every Park Require a RBCT CUA?
No, not every park will require a RBCT CUA. Each park superintendent determines whether road-based commercial tour activities in that park need to be managed via a CUA and will require a CUA in those cases where management is necessary. For parks that determine a RBCT CUA is required, the standard RBCT CUA conditions, application process, and CUA fees are consistent. Park-specific RBCT CUA conditions will vary because each park is unique.
National Park Service units that will require RBCT CUAs for 2026 are listed below and within the online CUA system:
- Acadia National Park
- Arches National Park
- Badlands National Park
- Bandelier National Monument
- Bryce Canyon National Park
- Canyonlands National Park
- Capitol Reef National Park
- Crater Lake National Park
- Death Valley National Park
- Devils Postpile National Monument
- Dinosaur National Monument
- Golden Gate National Recreation Area
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Harpers Ferry National Historical Park
- Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
- Hovenweep National Monument
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Kaloko Honokohau National Historic Site
- Lake Mead National Recreation Area
- Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
- Mesa Verde National Park
- Mount Rainier National Park
- Natchez Trace Parkway
- National Park of American Samoa
- Natural Bridges National Monument
- Olympic National Park
- Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
- Pecos National Historical Park
- Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park
- Redwood National and State Parks
- Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
- Valles Caldera National Preserve
- Vicksburg National Military Park
- Yosemite National Park
Does the Tour Operator or the Transportation Provider Need to Apply for the RBCT CUA?
The National Park Service understands the business model for road-based tour operators can make it difficult to determine which entity is responsible for securing the RBCT CUA. Ultimately, the business entity who assumes the responsibility and liability of the clients travelling in the park is responsible.This entity is most commonly the tour operator who accompanies paying clients to the National Park Service unit(s). It may also be the tour packager who develops and packages the tour and sells the tour to a third-party (e.g., international tour operator), but does not accompany the clients to the National Park Service unit(s). In this case, the RBCT CUA conditions require the CUA holder (the tour packager) to assume responsibility for the third-party while that third-party is operating in the National Park Service unit(s) under the RBCT CUA.
Motorcoach operators who are providing chartered transportation services only are not required to apply for and secure a RBCT CUA. RBCT CUAs provide for the use of owned, rented, leased, or chartered motorcoaches. In some cases, however, parks may require motorcoach operators providing transportation services only and not working under a tour provider's RBCT CUA, to secure a Transportation CUA in order to avoid unacceptable impacts resulting from motorcoach operations. Parks will not require a RBCT CUA and a Transportation CUA for a single trip.
Can I apply for a RBCT CUA if I use 15 and less passenger capacity vehicles?
RBCT CUAs are issued only for operators using 16+ passenger capacity vehicles. Operators who travel within a single vehicle with less than 16 passenger capacity vehicle on an itinerary sold for leisure/recreational/educational purposes do not meet the definition of RBCT CUA. Management needs for smaller vehicles are different than for larger vehicles because smaller vehicles compete with private vehicles for space at wayside exhibits, parking areas, etc. and otherwise act differently when operating in a park.
Road-based tour operators using vehicles with a capacity under 16 passengers may be required to obtain other types of CUAs based on the need for NPS to manage the commercial activity and the actual activity conducted within the park. Park superintendents have the following three options:
- Implement a special CUA category that authorizes road-based tours using under 16 passenger capacity vehicles (many parks call these Guided Interpretive Tour CUA but this is not a standard requirement so the CUA category title may vary)
- Require a different type of CUA if the operator offers additional services that are not simply incidental to road-based travel
- Determine that no CUA is required if there is not a need to manage the activity (e.g., the operators are simply using a through-road within the park and not conducting a tour)
Why Do CUA Requirements for Road-based Tour Operators Differ Between Parks?
CUA programs are managed by the superintendent of each individual National Park — not by a central office in Washington, and CUA requirements can vary from park to park, depending on the park’s resource protection needs, visitor flow, etc. Every park has different natural resources and values, geography and operational realities. For example, some parks have through-roads where operators may simply drive through the park. In these cases, the park superintendent may determine that a company simply passing through without conducting tours does not need a CUA. Other parks do not have through-roads, which affects how tours operate and may trigger a CUA requirement. The decision for CUA requirement is made locally by the park Superintendent.
How do I Apply for a CUA?
Operators that plan to operate in 2026 and beyond will apply for CUAs using the online CUA system. While operators must apply separately for each park in which they need a CUA, the online system streamlines the application process by creating a user profile for applicants. Applicants do not need to reenter business information or upload required documentation each time they apply for a new CUA, because the user profile securely stores that information and incorporates it into each application. Once an applicant has received one or more CUA, they are able to login to the system using their secure user profile to submit the annual CUA report required for each CUA.The system features user guides for CUA applicants and holders, demonstration videos, and FAQs so applicants and holders are fully prepared to use the system successfully.
What are the CUA Fees Associated with RBCT CUAs?
The National Park Service has standardized the RBCT CUA application fee for 2026 and beyond. Like all other types of CUAs, applicants will be subject to a $350 CUA application fee due to each park in which a RBCT operator desires to conduct business. A reduced application fee of $250 will be charged for subsequent applications received in the same park for the same CUA season for other types of services. The National Park Service recognizes that some RBCT companies provide other types of services in parks that are not incidental to the road-based travel and the discounted application fee will be applied to those other services. The National Park Service will periodically review the application fee to ensure cost recovery collection and reserves the right to adjust these fees in the future.
Do CUAs,including RBCT CUAs, Need to Pay Park Entrance Fees?
Yes. All CUA holders must pay park entrance fees, including RBCT CUA holders. Park entrance fees differ by CUA type per NPS policy. RBCT CUAs pay entrance fees based on vehicle size. All other types of CUAs, including CUAs issued to road-based tour providers that use under 16 passenger capacity vehicles, pay per-person entrance fees and annual and lifetime passes are accepted. Those passes cover the passholder and up to 3 additional visitors. CUA holders responsible for paying per-person entrance fees are encouraged to inform their clients that passes may be purchased in advance, including the America the Beautiful and site-specific passes. Digital versions of America the Beautiful passes purchased through recreation.gov are available immediately upon purchase.
Find answers to frequently asked questions about commercial tour entrance fees.
How does the Nonresident Fee Affect CUAs, including RBCT CUAs?
Beginning January 1, 2026, all nonresidents age 16 and older are subject to nonresident fees in addition to the regular entrance fee at 11 of the most visited national parks. Find answers to frequently asked questions about commercial tours and nonresident fees.
What Insurance is Required for RBCT CUAs?
Currently, RBCT CUA holders must have a commercial general liability insurance policy in the amount of $500,000 per occurrence, and must provide proof of insurance upon application submission through the online CUA system. The general commercial liability insurance policy must list the United States of America as additional insured.
Applicable commercial automobile insurance, as required by the Department of Transportation, is also required for all RBCT operations. RBCT applicants must provide proof of commercial automobile insurance coverage upon application submission for owned tour vehicles. The National Park Service understands that requiring proof of commercial auto insurance for tour vehicles at the time of application submission is difficult when those vehicles are leased or rented or chartered and so does not require that information upon application submission. If the CUA applicant or holder uses the services of a chartered transportation company, the CUA conditions will require the applicant to ensure the chartered transportation company meets the Federal and State commercial vehicle insurance requirements but does not require proof of this insurance at any time.
Last updated: April 1, 2026