Welcome to the Commercial Use Permit Program

Apply for a Commercial Use Permit

What is the Commercial Use Permit Program?

The Commercial Use Permit Program manages commercial activities on Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) lands. OSMP has designed the program to help minimize impacts to natural, agricultural and cultural resources, and to preserve the quality of the visitor experience.

Who Needs a Permit?

You need a commercial use permit if you charge a fee for a service that brings people or animals to OSMP lands or facilities. A fee can be a charge, purchase of goods or services, or a required donation for a service or as a condition of participation. Commercial operators include for-profits and non-profits.

Examples include: instruction on climbing, hiking, photography, environmental education, and dog walking, and commercial filming.

Examples of services that do not require a commercial use permit are:

• Regular curricular school groups. However, school groups will need special use permits if there will be 50 or more participants, or to notify OSMP if 25 to 49 people will be attending;
• Groups not charging a fee or collecting monetary compensation;
• Groups on an officially led OSMP interpretive hike (OSMP staff or volunteer led).

Permit Types and Fee Structure

Permit application fees are non-refundable.

A damage deposit may be required. Deposits will be determined based upon each permit request.

Annual permits will be issued to operators with the potential for year-round visitation to OSMP lands, trailheads, parking areas, shelters or picnic areas. Annual permits will include an unlimited number of cumulative visits, not to exceed individual group size limits without written OSMP approval. Conditions will be permit specific. Annual permits are valid until Dec. 31 of the year issued.

Event permits will be issued to operators desiring a one-time or less than two week event on OSMP lands, trailheads, parking areas, shelters or picnic areas. Conditions will be permit specific. Event permits are valid for the date(s) listed on the permit.

Limited permits will be issued to operators who agree to specific conditions of operation on OSMP lands, trailheads, parking areas, shelters or picnic areas. Visitation is not to exceed 50 total visitors in any one calendar year, and total group size must always be 16 or fewer participants. A visitor is one person visiting OSMP one day. (For example, ten people with one leader for one day would count as 11 visitors). Climbing groups that obtain limited permits must only climb from designated trails. List of designated climbs 23.31 Kb

Additional Permit Fees:

Permits requiring more than eight total hours of staff time are subject to an additional fee of $30 per hour.

Applying is a Two Step Process:

• Complete the online application and payment information for the permit.
• Mail, fax or deliver proof of insurance, affidavit and any other required documents.

All permit holders must complete a report on events and trips after they occur.

During the application process, you will need to provide information on each trip you plan to take with your permit. Depending on how many trips you are planning, the online application will take between half hour and two hours.

OSMP will need at least 14 days to review your completed online application.

Commercial use permits do not give permit holders an exclusive use privilege.

This registration application works best with Internet Explorer 6.0+ and Firefox 1.5+. If you use the Safari internet browser on a Macintosh computer, you may run into issues with the online application's appearance.

Details on the Online Application Process:

1. Agree to terms and conditions.
2. Enter business or organization contact information.
3. Enter permit details including:
   • Date
   • Group size
   • Trails used
   • Time of day
   • Type of activity
4. Submit payment information.
5. Print online application coversheet and payment confirmation.
6. Submit proof of insurance and payment (if applicable) to OSMP by mail, fax or in person for review. Your permit application will not be reviewed until the online application, payment, proof of insurance and affidavit have been received by OSMP.

If you do not complete your application in one session, you may update the application. The program times out after 30 minutes of inactivity.

If you make changes to your plans after OSMP has issued your permit, you only need to notify OSMP if your group has more than 16 participants.

If you have trouble using this program, please call 303-441-3440 and we will try to help you as soon as possible. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Reporting on Events and Trips

All permit holders must report on events and trips after they occur. Event permit holders must complete a report on the event within one week after it ends. Limited and annual permit holders must complete a report at the end of the permit’s calendar year. Please record the details of each event and trip as they occur throughout the year to ensure accurate reporting.

Get Started with Application:

Last Updated on Friday, 22 February 2013 15:46