Permits & Reservations

A ranger places a flower during the Remembrance Commemoration

NPS Photo

Special Use Permits

Special Park Uses

A special park use is defined as a short-term activity that takes place in a park area, and that:

• provides a benefit to an individual, group or organization rather than the public at large;
• requires written authorization and some degree of management control from the National Park Service (NPS) in order to protect park resources and the public interest;
• is not prohibited by law or regulation;
• is not initiated, sponsored, or conducted by the NPS; and is not managed under a concession contract, a recreation activity for which the NPS charges a fee, or a lease.

Examples of activities that require a Special Use Permit at Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park include filming and/or photography, special events, First Amendment activities, and scattering of ashes.

Filming & Still Photography Permits

Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park follows National Park Service regulation and policy for filming and photography activity. For more detailed information on filming and photography on national park lands go to Filming & Still Photography Permits.

Special Event Permits

Special events include activities such as, sporting events, pageants, celebrations, public spectator attractions, entertainment, ceremonies, festivals, and more. To receive consideration for a special event activity, there must be a meaningful association between the park area and the event, and the event contributes to visitor understanding of the significance of the park.

How to Apply for a Permit

To receive consideration, all requests for Special Use Permits must be made at least 30 days in advance, except for First Amendment activities that require an application be submitted at least 10 days in advance. A $50 non-refundable application fee payable online must be submitted with your application. Use the application form below for your type of permit activity and email it to [e-mail].

Special Park Use Permit Application Form
Commercial Filming & Still Photography Application Form
Demonstration and Distribution of Materials Application Form

What fees will I have to pay?

Except for First Amendment activity permits, the following fees apply:

• $50 non-refundable permit application fee
• Cost recovery fees – Costs incurred by the park to administer, manage, and monitor permit activity will billed to the permittee. This amount will vary depending on the size and complexity of the permit.
• Commercial Filming Location Fees.
  • 1-2 people, camera & tripod only - $0
  • 1 – 10 people - $150/day
  • 11 – 30 people - $250/day
  • 31 – 49 people - $500/day
  • Over 50 people - $750/day
• Still Photography Location Fees
  • 1 – 10 people - $50/day
  • 11 – 30 people - $150/day
  • Over 30 people - $250/day

Are there other permit requirements?

Depending on the risk posed to park resources by a proposed permit activity, you may be required to obtain liability insurance in an amount commensurate with the risk. A bond may be required to ensure the payment of charges and fees, and the restoration of the permit area if necessary.

 

A ranger speaks with a school group at Fort Sumter

NPS photo/ C. Reid

Reservations

Fort Sumter

Reservations for families and other small groups are generally not required for Fort Sumter. Tickets are sold first come, first served each day at the departure locations and online through the park's authorized concessioner Fort Sumter Tours. During extremely busy periods, such as holidays and the summer season, tickets can sell out at any time. All large groups and school groups of any size should make advance reservations.

Fort Moultrie

All groups of 20 or more visiting Fort Moultrie MUST complete the group reservation form. Please follow the instructions below to complete this form.

 

Fort Moultrie Group Reservation Form

All groups of 20 or more visiting Fort Moultrie MUST complete the group reservation form. Please follow the instructions below to complete this form. Limited bus parking and facility space at Fort Moultrie means the park must manage the number and size of groups visiting at the same time. This helps the park ensure an enjoyable and safe experience for all and protected park resources. Group reservations must be submitted to the park at least 14 days prior to your visit.

Fort Moultrie has a site fee of $10 per adult (anyone 16 and older). Academic groups can apply for a fee waiver to waive this site fee. Academic fee waivers are not guaranteed. A waiver application must be submitted for review. An academic fee waiver covers the expense of students who are 16 years and older, and one teacher/chaperone per ten students. Additional teacher/chaperones are charged according to the site’s fee schedule. Students 15 years and younger are always free.

Academic fee waiver requests must be submitted to the park at least 30 days in advance of the planned visit date to give the park sufficient time for processing.

The form contains sections for both group reservations and the academic fee waivers. For groups that are NOT applying for an academic fee waiver, please select (No, I do not need a fee waiver) under the academic fee waiver section.

For any required question that does not pertain to your group, you may simply enter N/A.

NPS Form 10-1750 (Rev. 04/2021)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0228
Expiration Date 11/30/2025

Learning Accommodations

Does anyone in your group need any accommodations?

Yes No

If yes, describe the accommodation need.

Next Step

School / Organization Contact Information

School / Organization Name (required)

Name of Requester/Contact Person (required)

Title / Position (required)

Contact Email Address (required)

Contact Phone Number (required)
123-456-7890 extension if any

Mailing Address (required)

City (required)

State (required)

Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas Armed Forces - Americas Armed Forces - Europe Armed Forces - Pacific California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

ZIP (required)
Five digit ZIP code [99999]

Next Step

Group Details - Park Visit/ Field Trip

Name of Primary Contact Visiting if Different Than Above (optional)

Title / Position of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)

Email Address of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)

Phone Number of Primary Contact if Different Than Above (optional)
Format: 123-456-7890

Program Name or Subject Requested/Self-Guided

Grade Level(s) of Students (required)

Number of Staff / Chaperones (required)

Number of Students (required)

Preferred Date of Visit (required)
format mmddyyyy

My preferred date has been confirmed by the park (required)

Yes No

Preferred Program Start Time (required)

Alternative Date(s) (required)
Enter one or more dates .

Anticipated Arrival Time (required)

Anticipated Departure Time (required)

Mode of Transportation (required)

Disclaimer:

A park representative will follow-up to confirm group details once this request has been received and reviewed.

Next Step

Academic Fee Waiver

Visitors 16 years of age or older (including students, chaperones, and teachers) must pay an entrance fee at this site. Academic institutions (including schools) may apply for an academic fee waiver to cover the cost of these visitors. The number of teachers/chaperones that are covered with a waiver varies depending on the size of the group.

Would you like to request an academic fee waiver for your group?

Yes. I need to complete the fee waiver application. No I do not need a fee waiver.

For this section, all of the criteria fields and the acknowledgement checkbox are required for the waiver.

Certification

Academic fee waivers are not granted automatically. Applicant groups must show they qualify for the waiver. There are three criteria the group must meet to qualify for an academic fee waiver: eligibility, relevance of park resources or facilities to academic program, and academic purpose. Details of these qualifications are listed below. If your institution and purpose meet these criteria, submit this form.

Criterion One - Eligibility

Describe and/or attach current official recognition or accreditation as an educational institution by a federal, state, or local government or other documentation attesting to educational status, such as an accreditation letter, educational tax-exempt letter.

Attach Supporting Document for Eligibility (if needed). Acceptable document types: are Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word, and Google Doc

Criterion Two - Educational Purpose

Verify how this visit supports a specific curriculum for which academic credit is offered. For example, attach a course syllabus/description, course catalog, lesson plan, letter detailing the educational purpose, etc., and/or describe.

Attach Supporting Document for Educational Purpose (if needed). Acceptable document types: are Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word and Google Doc

Criterion Three - Relevance of Park Resources or Facilities

Identify the pertinent park resources and/or facilities and detail how they are relevant to support the educational purpose of the visit (attach letter or describe).

Attach Supporting Document for Relevance (if needed). Acceptable document types: are Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word and Google Doc

Authorized School / Organization Contact Name (required)

Title / Position

Acknowledgement (required)

The Recreation Fee Authority (16 USC 6802 Sections 3 a and b) allows for fee waivers only for bona fide educational and/or scientific institutions that are using the park for educational purposes. I hereby certify that the above detailed trip meets these requirements and therefore request that fees be waived.

Current official documentation of recognition of affiliation as an educational institution by a Federal, State or local government entity, or other evidence attesting to educational status is attached (e.g. accreditation letter, educational tax-exempt letter). It is insufficient to merely state or imply this on official letterhead.

By checking this box I acknowledge that I have read the Acknowledgement.

Date of Acknowledgement (required)
format mmddyyyy

Submit my Education Reservation Request

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NPS Form 10-1750 (Rev. 04/2021)
National Park Service

OMB Control No. 1024-0228
Expiration Date 11/31/2025

Notices

Privacy Act Statement

Authority: Public Law 114-289 National Park Service Centennial Act and 54 U.S.C. 100701 Protection, interpretation, and research in System.

Purpose: To administer education programs for education audiences including but not limited to school groups, scouting groups, extracurricular groups, and home school groups.

Routine Uses: To effectively manage requests for education received by the NPS, the Education Reservation Request Form is used to collect basic education reservation information to facilitate operational aspects of scheduling groups for park education programs, including in-park education programs, ranger in classroom programs, and/or online distance learning programs.

Disclosure: Voluntary, however, failure to provide the requested information may impede the ability to grant your education reservation request.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

We are collecting this information subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501) to provide park managers and educators the information needed to schedule and conduct education program activities. All applicable parts of the form must be completed in order for your request to be considered. You are not required to respond to this or any other Federal agency-sponsored information collection unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. OMB has approved this collection of information and assigned control number 1024-0288.

Estimated Burden Statement

Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525. Do not send your completed form to this address.