NPS to roll out new CUA online system in November, increase fees in 2026

September 10, 2024

For the past several years, NTA has kept its members current on the progress by the U.S. National Park Service to implement a systemwide online application process for Commercial Use Authorizations for road-based commercial tours. The latest information is available, and NTA tour operators need to prepare for CUA application fee increases for the 2026 season, which will be $350/park.

The NPS is finally making good on a mandate that makes all national parks require a CUA, and it has been determined that it is the tour operator—the entity responsible for the group in the park, and not the charter motorcoach company—that must secure the RBCT CUA. The upside is that the new process will be online and streamlined across all park units. The downside is that more parks (and likely the majority of parks throughout the NPS portfolio) will require a CUA beginning with the 2026 season.

It should be noted that throughout this process, NTA has collaborated with other industry associations and relied upon a working group of tour and motorcoach operators for insights. The NPS officials have listened to and implemented updates, when possible, based on industry input.

Most recently, members were encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to view information about the platform and fees and provide comments during the federally mandated public open comment period, which ended August 10. NTA did submit comments on behalf of members, most notably pushing back on proposed fees. During our most recent meeting with NPS officials, NTA learned that although it’s not confirmed, we should expect the proposed fees to be implemented. With NTA’s urging, NPS did analyze the fees to see if they could be lowered, yet they are unable to decrease them because the statute requiring CUAs for all parks also mandates that administration of such CUAs must be recovered by fees. Therefore, this is the proposed schedule to roll out the online application process and timing on fee increases:

November 2024: For the 2025 season and for parks that had historically required road-based commercial tour CUAs, the new online CUA application process will be available. (NPS noted that not all parks currently requiring RBCT CUAs will be ready to use this new system on day one, so there will be park-by-park variance in this early stage.)
There will be no fee increases for the 2025 season. (Please notify NTA President Catherine Prather if you encounter a CUA application fee increase and/or a park now requiring a CUA for 2025 that previously had not required one.)
November 2025: For the 2026 season, the online CUA application process will be used across all parks. (There will be an exceptions list, and the NPS expects to publish this list sometime in 2025.)
For the 2026 season, the application fee for a RBCT CUA will be $350 for each park requiring a CUA. This must be obtained if a tour operator wants to visit a park once or multiple times. It should be noted that a previous practice of the motorcoach operator “loaning” its RBCT CUA to its chartering tour operator will no longer be allowed.

Next up for discussion: the annual reporting process. NTA understands this is an administrative burden for tour operators and has been advocating for a streamlined form. Continue to watch NTA’s communications as we keep you informed on this issue.