Permits & Reservations

A ranger places a flower in a pile of flowers during the Remembrance Commemoration
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 FOSU_Commercial_Services@nps.gov.

Special Park Use Permit Application
Filming & Still Photography Application

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 in front of the remains of a cannon embrasure
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 11/31/2025

Disclaimer:

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


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.

Last updated: November 7, 2024

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

1214 Middle Street
Sullivan's Island, SC 29482

Phone:

(843) 883-3123

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