Special Use Permits

Under regulations, a group use is an activity that involves a group of 75 or more people, either as participants or spectators. Noncommercial is any use or activity where an entry or participation fee is not charged, and the primary purpose is not the sale of a goods or service. Some examples of noncommercial group uses are weddings, church services, endurance rides, regattas, camping trips, hikes, music festivals, rallies, graduations, and races.

When to Apply

Applications must be submitted at least 45-60 days before the non-commercial use event and no sooner than 180 days before the event.

APPLY

Non-Commercial Group Use Permit Application Form

Activities that require a recreation special use permit include competitive races, contests, fund raisers, eco-challenges, dog trials, club activities, adventure games and endurance races. If you or your organization is considering holding such an event on the national forest, contact your local ranger district well in advance of the scheduled event to determine whether a permit is available. Requests for recreation events in designated wilderness areas will not be considered (Lizard Head, Hermosa Creek, Weminuche, and South San Juan Wilderness Areas).

When to Apply

APPLY 

Recreation Event Permit Application Form

Outfitters & guides may apply for temporary or long-term priority use permits (where available).

Temporary Outfitter Guide Permits

The San Juan National Forest (SJNF) has implemented a program for issuing Temporary Outfitting and Guiding Special Use Permits on a limited basis in 2012 pursuant to the governing directives contained in Forest Service Handbook FSH 2709.11, section 41.53. 

Full implementation of the program at the individual National Forest level is dependent on a variety of factors. Most guided recreational activities are available through existing permit holders on the SJNF and/or on private, state, or other Federal lands. Our primary focus is to facilitate greater participation in use of existing permitted Priority Use outfitter/guides. Visit the Outfitter Guides webpage for a complete list of all permitted Priority Use outfitters guides. However, the SJNF will consider offering Temporary Outfitter/Guide permits with a focus on applications that include youth, educational, underprivileged and religious groups for a limited number of activities and in a limited number of areas across the Forest.

Temporary Outfitter/Guide permits are:

• Not renewable
• Issued noncompetitively
• For use that is non-recurring (issuance of temporary permits is non-competitive and is a first-come, first-serve basis until capacity runs out)
• Not intended for building a business
• Limited to maximum of 200 service days each
• Issued at the sole discretion of the Authorized Officer
• Holder may obtain 2 permits per year, one for summer season & one for winter season
• Holder must provide proof of insurance (see insurance section below) - the USFS must be listed as an Additional Insured

Temporary use permits authorize short-term, non-renewable outfitting and guiding use that is authorized in increments of 50 service days, up to a maximum of 200 service days in a 180-day period. a service day is one day or any part of one day on national forest lands for which an outfitter or guide provides services to one client. The total number of service days is calculated by multiplying each service day by the number of clients on the trip. For example, if an outfitter brings 5 clients on the forest for one day, that visit would utilize 5 service days.

When to Apply

Consideration of any proposal for use in an area or for a specific activity or season is at the sole discretion of the District Ranger of each administrative unit of the SJNF. With limited exceptions, only complete application packages submitted by the by the last day of open season application period will be considered. 

Applications generally WILL NOT be accepted or considered for the following types of locations and/or activities*:

• Weminuche Wilderness Area
• Any Cave Resource
• Any “14er” Peak on weekends or Holidays during the summer season
• Use of routes during timeframes or in areas that may have seasonal restrictions due to elk calving, nesting sites, limits on snow compaction or other resource related values
• The Continental Divide Trail on weekends or Holidays during the summer season
• The Colorado Trail on weekends or Holidays during the summer season
• Activities considered to be high risk, including but not limited to: – Class IV & above white water rafting/kayaking; use of aircraft or aerial activities; alpine skiing; avalanche area travel; rock climbing
• Hunting:  Possible exceptions may include limited hunts having specialized requirements or seasons such as goat, sheep or Governor’s Tag hunts. However, at a minimum, the applicant must hold a priority outfitting permit in good standing from another National Forest unit, retain a valid State of Colorado Outfitting registration and must provide documentation verifying that all existing authorized outfitters for that area and activity have been contacted and are either not interested or not available to provide the service. Any entity claiming insurance indemnification waivers will not be issued permits. 

Criteria for Consideration of Proposals For Temporary Outfitter/Guide Permits

1. All applications that are submitted will be screened for meeting both the initial and second level criteria in 36 CFR261.54 prior to being evaluated according to the provisions outlined above.
2. Applications meeting all criteria, including application deadline dates, will be considered with preference being given to uses that provide opportunities for youth, educational, underprivileged, or similar groups. Applications packages must be sufficiently complete for the authorized officer to make an informed decision regarding issuance of a permit. Incomplete packages requiring significant additional follow-up time by Forest staff may not be considered.
3. Proposals for summer season activities must remain on existing designated system travel ways or bodies of water. (Proposals for non-motorized or non-mechanized uses occurring off designated route use may be considered but may require a more in-depth analysis of potential impacts pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and be subject to Cost Recovery Fees per FSH2709.11, Chapter 20. Proponents considering an application for this type of activity should submit applications well in advance of the application deadline to provide sufficient time for NEPA analysis. )
4. In general, the smaller the group size, the higher the likelihood of being considered for a permit. Larger group sizes tend to increase potential impacts from a resource and social perspective. Group size must meet existing regulations e. g. Wilderness, site occupancy requirements, etc. (Proposals for large groups may be considered but may require a more in depth analysis of potential impacts pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and be subject to Cost Recovery Fees per FSH2709.11, Chapter 20. Proponents considering an application for this type of activity should submit applications well in advance of the application deadline to provide sufficient time for NEPA analysis.)
5. In general, proposals for weekday use will have a higher likelihood of being considered due to the amount of existing use that occurs on weekends and Holidays.
6. In general, a person or group cannot acquire a temporary outfitter/guide permit for a similar activity on the same Ranger District more than one time in a 2-year period.
7. If the applicant or a managing partner has previous law violations related to the activity for which a permit is requested, has previous poor performance, or has failed to pay fees, the applicant will be disqualified.
8. If multiple applications for similar qualifying activities, use areas or dates are received, a selection will be made through a random drawing.
9. There are several areas on San Juan National Forest where recreation use levels are exceeding capacities and no temporary special use permits will be considered in these areas. No temporary use permits will be issued for summer season activities within the Weminuche Wilderness Area. Additionally, temporary use permits for hunting activities will not be considered.

APPLY

Temporary Permit for Outfitting and Guiding Application Form

Checklist for Temporary Permit for Outfitter and Guides

Priority Use Outfitter Guiding Permits

The San Juan National Forest currently has limited numbers of priority use permits available; please contact the specific district where you are interested in getting use to inquire whether priority or temporary permits are available. Occasionally, a priority use outfitter guiding prospectus will be issued by the forest. This is an open and public process and notifications of upcoming prospectus application periods are announced through various media outlets and on the San Juan National Forest web page.

Priority use permits authorize outfitter and guide activity for up to 10 years, based on the holder’s past use and performance and applicable programmatic or project decisions to allocate use. Priority use authorizations are, with some exceptions, subject to renewal. Applicants who have not previously had priority use permits on San Juan National Forest will be issued a 2-year probationary permit which will be extended for an additional 8 years with satisfactory performance.

Visit the Outfitter Guides webpage for a complete list of all permitted priority use outfitters guides.

Service Days

Use is assigned by service days; a service day is one day or any part of one day on national forest lands for which an outfitter or guide provides services to one client. The total number of service days is calculated by multiplying each service day by the number of clients on the trip. Proposals should include realistic requests for the number of service days that the applicant has the capacity to provide or expect to use. Permit holders who fail to use all their authorized days will have the unused days removed from their permit. The number of user days authorized may be different than that requested.

Prospective applicants should be aware that capacity limits (maximum number of service days allowed in a geographic area) could constrain a business’s ability to grow and expand in the future. Opportunities for businesses to expand under a special use permit depend on the resource capacity, the patterns, and trends of both the outfitted and non-outfitted public, future natural resource issues, and permittee performance.

Application Requirements

Currently there are no Priority Use Outfitter Guiding Permits Prospectuses.

Commercial filming and still photography on national forest system lands may require a special use authorization. Complete the Filming on National Forest System Lands form to determine if a special use authorization is required.

If special use authorizations required, the permit process is as follows:

1. Determine the San Juan National Forest Ranger District(s) where the photography / filming will take place.  If you are not sure what district your activity is in, check out the San Juan National Forest Overview Map or call the San Juan National Forest Headquarters at (970) 247-4874.
2. Describe your planned filming activity in detail. Complete the Photography and Filming Request Form. Provide a map showing specific photography/filming locations.
3. Submit your proposal at least 30 days before you want to start filming. Complex filming proposal requests could require even more time to process.
4. Cost-recovery fees (to cover permit processing and monitoring), as well as additional land-use fees must be paid before commercial filming/photography can begin. Processing and monitoring fees vary, depending on the estimated hours of Forest Service time needed to process the application or to monitor the filming and any reclamation required.
5. Liability insurance may be required, naming the U.S. Government as “additional insured.” The Forest Service will determine the appropriate amount of coverage. Depending on the location and type of production, the Forest Service may impose additional requirements such asbonding.

See the USFS website “Special Uses-Filming on National Forest System Lands” for additional information about commercial filming and photography policies (Select Region 2).

When to Apply

Submit your proposal at least 30 days before you want to start filming. Complex filming proposal requests could require even more time to process. 

APPLY

Submit the Photography and Filming Request Form to the appropriate contact listed below.

Contacts

The following insurance guidelines are provided to show why insurance requirements are necessary and how the Certificate of Insurance should be prepared to meet the agency direction.

The Special Use Permit requires the Permittee to indemnify the United States against any liability for damage to life or property arising from the occupancy or use of National Forest System Lands. The Permit requires the Permittee to have the insurance company name the United States Government (Forest Service) as an additionally insured party. Also, the Certificate of Insurance and the insurance policy shall contain a specific provision to the effect that the policy shall not be cancelled or the provisions changed or deleted before thirty (30) days written notification by the insurance company to the U.S. Government, c/o USDA Forest Service.

A Certificate of Insurance must be presented to the Forest Service before a Special Use Permit will be issued. For long-term or high-risk projects, the Authorized Officer may require that a copy of the actual insurance policy be furnished before the permit is issued.

Required language

The following acceptable additional insured clause shall be shown in verbatim on the face of the Certificate of Insurance or Binder and, as a clause or an endorsement in the insurance policy:

"It is understood and agreed that the United States Government is additional insured solely as respects liability arising from operations of the named insured."

In addition, the following 30-day clause is also mandatory and shall be shown in verbatim on the Certificate of Insurance as well as in the insurance policy:

"It is understood and agreed that the coverage under this policy will not be changed or its provisions changed or deleted before thirty (30) days written notice to the United States Government, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Supervisor, San Juan National Forest, 15 Burnett Court, Durango, CO  81301."

United States Government, c/o USDA Forest Service, San Juan National Forest shall be listed in the certificate holder box.

If these clauses are not on the Certificate of Insurance in verbatim, and are not in the insurance policy or on an endorsement as stated above, a Special Use Permit will not be issued.

Insurance Minimums

The amount of insurance required will depend on the degree of risk involved. The table below shows current minimum coverage amounts for some outfitter-guide activities.

Certificate of Liability Insurance Form