Permits

Permits for events such as weddings, family reunions (outside of developed recreation sites), sporting events, festivals and such are required. In addition, commercial activities such as outfitter and guide services, are required to obtain a special use permit.

What are Non-Commercial Group Use Events?

Non-commercial recreational event permits are required for groups of 75 people or more and apply to events such as weddings, family reunions, large social gatherings, etc., excluding group sites in designated campgrounds. Please apply using the FS-2700-3b application. Non-commercial group use is not applicable within Wilderness. Applications should be received by the District Office a minimum of 45 days in advance. 

What are Recreation Events?

Recreation Events are commercial activities (as opposed to a private activity) requiring temporary special use authorizations for use of National Forest System lands. Examples of recreation events include, but are not limited to, animal, bicycle, motocross, or triathlon type races; jeep rallies; fishing contests; rendezvous; rodeos; adventure games; youth treks; and other similar events. A permit is required for these types of events regardless of the number of people involved in the activity.

When are Permit Proposal due?

• Proposals for recreation events and noncommercial permits with 75 or greater participants are due on March 1st and November 1st of each year. This includes annual operating plans for holders of permits greater than one year.
• Non-commercial groups with less than 75 participants need to apply at least 45-days prior to the event date.

How do I apply?

Please contact the appropriate Ranger District Office for more information on recreation special uses. We know that you don't want to plan an event, only to find out at the last minute a permit is needed. If you are in doubt about the need for a permit, or have questions about the permitting process, please give us a call!

A pre-application meeting with the permit administrator is required to ensure the proposal is an appropriate and authorized use on NFS lands. If the request is eligible for consideration, the application and supporting documentation must be received by the applicable open season deadline. Visit the Forest Service Special Uses Forms website. The permit administrator can verify if your application is complete. An incomplete application will delay review of your proposal.

A Special Use Permit grants rights or privileges of occupancy and use subject to specified terms and conditions on National Forest System land. Lands Special Use Permits cover a variety of uses but the most common types are Communication Sites, Roads, Waterlines, Powerlines, Research, and Commercial Photography/Filming. Other land use permits include, but not limited to, service buildings, stockpile sites, warehouse and storage yards, signs, dams, hydroelectric, and parking lots.

Do I need a Lands Special Use Permit?

You need a permit if:

• If you will need to occupy, use or build on Forest Service land for personal or business purposes, whether the duration is temporary or long term.
• If there is a fee being charged or if income is derived from the use.

How do I apply?

Please contact the appropriate District Ranger Officer for more information on lands special uses. 

A pre-application meeting with the permit administrator is required to ensure the proposal is an appropriate and authorized use on NFS lands. If the request is eligible for consideration, the application and supporting documentation must be received by the applicable open season deadline. Proposals should be submitted using the SF-299 form. The permit administrator can verify if your application is complete. An incomplete application will delay review of your proposal.

Broadband

The Forest Service has developed an online portal for submission of fiber optic cable proposals and created a National Broadband Program that includes a national project manager and broadband action teams.

The broadband action teams will:

• Review broadband proposals and applications and will assist Forest Service offices with the environmental review and permitting processes.
• Coordinate with state broadband offices to provide direction, training and support to broadband applicants.

The streamlined process will ensure the Forest Service receives all relevant information needed to screen and process proposals.

Each year, the Forest Service receives thousands of individual and business applications for authorization for use of National Forest Service land for such activities as water transmission, agriculture, outfitting and guiding, recreation, telecommunication, research, photography and video productions, and granting road and utility rights-of-ways. The Forest Service carefully reviews each application to determine how the request affects the public's use of NFS land. Normally, NFS land is not made available if the overall needs of the individual or business can be met on non-federal lands.

How long does it take to get a proposal processed?

This can vary from a couple of days to years. Your proposal will be screened within 60 days. The processing time after screening varies with the complexity of the proposal and type of use.

What form do I use to submit my proposal?

This varies depending on the type of use proposed. Visit the Special Uses Permits website to view the different application forms.

What is the Initial and Second Level Screening Criteria?

A list of these criteria can be found at the Special Uses Permits website. This is the basic criteria used by the agency to review proposals and applies to all lands special uses proposals.

I/We have an existing permit. I/We wish to make a change/addition to our use. Is the process the same?

Yes. Submit a new SF-299 form found at the Special Uses Permits website. describing changes to the existing permitted use.

What are the fees to apply for a permit?

There is no fee to have your proposal go through the first level of screening by the Forest Service. If your proposal is accepted, then processing and monitoring fees follow these procedures:

• Processing: All lands special use proposals have a processing fee once accepted which covers the environmental review and permit preparation. This will vary based on the complexity of the proposal.
• Monitoring: If a proposal is approved and the project requires government oversight beyond routine permit inspections, such as construction of a new facility, the proponent will be required to pay a monitoring fee. This will vary depending on the complexity of the proposal.

I bought property that has a special use permit tied to it with the Boise National Forest (for example private road access or water system). How would I get authorization for this use to continue under my name?

Contact the appropriate Ranger District Office. The process starts by completing a form called “Holder Initiated Revocation of Existing Authorization, Request for a Special Use Permit” which is form number FS-2700-3a, found at the Special Uses Permits website. You would also need to provide a bill of sale or other documentation verifying the transfer of ownership.

Who can I contact regarding Special Uses Permit?

Please contact the Ranger District Offices for further information about special use permits.

What are Outfitters and Guides?

There are many types of outfitted and guided services provided on National Forest System lands. The traditional types primarily involve hunting and fishing in a backcountry setting, but today the industry is highly diverse and includes backpacking, mountaineering, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, van touring, OHV riding, and rock climbing. Nonprofits and educational groups, such as schools and universities, are also frequently considered outfitters, as are those who use the National Forests for rehabilitation and therapeutic benefits.

What should Outfitters and Guides provide?

• Provide outfitting and guiding services that address concerns of public health and safety and that foster successful small businesses consistent with the applicable land management plan.
• Facilitate greater participation of youth and educational groups in their program.
• Be skilled and experienced individuals and conduct their activities in a manner that protects environmental resources and ensures that national forest visitors receive high-quality services.

Who needs and Outfitter-Guide permit?

Reviewing the following definitions, found in 36 CFR 251.51, may help you decide whether or not your activity needs an Outfitter and Guide permit:

• Commercial use or activity - any use or activity on National Forest System lands (a) where an entry or participation fee is charged, or (b) where the primary purpose is the sale of a good or service, and in either case, regardless of whether the use or activity is intended to produce a profit. Noncommercial - means that neither of the above conditions apply.
• Guiding - Providing services or assistance (such as supervision, protection, education, training, packing, touring, subsistence, transporting people, or interpretation) for pecuniary remuneration or other gain to individuals or groups on National Forest System lands. The term "guide" includes the holder's employees and agents.
• Outfitting - Renting on or delivering to National Forest System lands for pecuniary remuneration or other gain any saddle or pack animal, vehicle, boat, camping gear, or similar supplies or equipment. The term "outfitter" includes the holder's employees and agents.
• If you will be outfitting or guiding on the National Forest for one year or less, a temporary outfitter-guide permit may be the right fit.
• If group activities span multiple Ranger Districts or National Forests, proponents will need to work with each Ranger District or National Forest separately. Also, for efficiency and coordination purposes, each event or group must only have one contact person working directly with specified Forest Service contacts.

Ready to get your Outfitter-Guide permit?

Outfitter & Guiding Proposal Submission Date

All proposals for new outfitter and guide permits are due on March 1st of each year. This includes new proposals as well as amendments to existing priority, temporary permits. Applications will take at least two months to process.

The role of commercial outfitters and guides on national forests and grasslands is to provide specialized knowledge, skills, experience and equipment that general recreationists might not otherwise possess. This contributes to high quality opportunities for people to recreate on public lands regardless of their skill level or prior experience. Below are the permit-holding outfitters of the Manti-La Sal National Forest.

North Zone (Ferron/Price and Sanpete Ranger Districts) Outfitters and Guides Include

• Adventure Hideaway
• Alpha Outfitters
• Backcountry Pros
• Cisco Outfitting
• Crab Creek
• GT Outfitters
• Lazy Bar T Outfitters
• Lone Tree Outfitters
• Needle Rock Outfitters
• NR Peaks
• Rimrock Outfitters
• Shane Scott Outfitting
• Sportsmans Hunting
• Triple H Hunting
• Utah Mountain Adventures
• Wildeyez Outfitters

South Zone (Moab and Monticello Ranger Districts) Outfitters and Guides Include

Moab

• Action Sports
• Blue Raven Sidecar
• Canyonlands Field Institute
• Coyote Land Tours
• Desert Highlights
• Elevate Moab
• Escape Adventures
• Evan Clapper Adventure
• Gateway Canyons Resort
• Hermosa Tours
• High Mountain Institute
• Holiday Expeditions
• Moab Adventure Outfitters
• Moab Canyon Tours
• Moab Cliffs and Canyons
• Momentum Mountain Biking
• Mountain Joe's Trail Rides
• Off-Road Logistics 4x4
• Porcupine Shuttles (Mountain Desert Shuttles)
• Rappel Moab
• Rock n Ridge Rides
• San Juan Huts
• Talking Mountain Yurts
• The Mountain Workshop
• Via Trailways/Taulk Tours
• Walter Corporation/Moab Tourism Center
• Way to Moab
• West 38
• Westminster College
• Whole Enchilada Shuttles (Derbyshire Shuttles)
• Wild West Outdoor Adventures…

Monticello

• Animas Valley Institute
• Bill Burke 4-Wheeling
• Deer Hill Foundation
• Desert Gravel
• Four Corners Guides
• Hazard County Shuttles
• NOLS
• Roam Industry
• Sierra Club
• Wild Rockies Field Institute

Moab & Monticello

• Adam Bronson Outfitting
• Black Timber Outfitters
• Colorado Outward Bound School
• Colvig Silver Camps
• Cottonwood Gulch Foundation
• Coyote Shuttle
• Crabtree Outfitters (NZ Permit)
• D's Adventures and Photos
• Elite Motorcycle Tours
• Fly Low (Moab Moto Tours)
• High Top Outfitters (NZ Permit)
• Jake Bess Hunting
• Kinross Outfittes (NZ Permit)
• Lizard Head Cycling Guides
• Lone Tree Outfitters (NZ Permit)
• Magpie Adventures
• Mossback Guides and Outfitters
• Red Creek Canyon Outfitters
• Ride Moab Industries
• Rim Tours
• Silver Sage Outfitters
• Sunrise Outfitting
• Western Spirit