Thank you for your interest in having your event at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Muir Woods National Monument, or Fort Point National Historic Site. We manage many popular sites within our three park units including Marin Headlands, Crissy Field, Baker Beach, Ocean Beach, and Alcatraz Island. Please note all picnic tables are available on a first come, first served basis, and cannot be reserved. Reminder: National Park Service property is a no drone zone.
For event reservation information for the following jurisdictions, please contact: Presidio Trust, Mt. Tamalpais, Angel Island, San Mateo County Parks, San Francisco Recreation and Parks (for Marina Green and Golden Gate Park, etc.), Fort Mason Center and other surrounding parks.
Your first step in requesting access is to submit a completed permit application, which begins the process.
Permit Application Process:
Processing Timelines:
- It takes 4-15 business days for initial permit application review.
- Once your permit is approved, it can take several months for your permit specialist to write your permit.
- We accept applications up to a year in advance. Be aware that many of our popular sites are almost fully booked for 2025.
Permit Fee & Cost Recovery Estimates:
Potential Factors That Will Determine the Cost For Your Event:
- Number of participants.
- Complexity of event.
- Potential for impacts to park resources.
- Special equipment needs.
- Monitoring requirements.
- Catering will require a Temporary Food Event permit.
- All large events are required to have a minimum of $1,000,000 in liability insurance naming the United States of America as additionally insured.
- If additional requirements, such as Fire and Safety permits, may also apply to your activity.
See the FAQ sections below for specific types of reservations or events to learn more.
For more information, please contact the Office of Special Park Uses at [goga_permits@nps.gov] OR click here to EMAIL US.
- Submission of an application does not guarantee permit approval.
- Additional documents, such as but not limited to layout/route maps, parking plans, liability insurance will be required for complex events at least 4 months before event date.
- All Events which allow for the public to attend (with or without registration) must comply with all accessibility regulations and must review the park's accessibility checklist.
- Advertising and branding is prohibited. Signs on site must be approved by NPS prior to your event. Signs must be event related, directional, and logos cannot be more than 30% of sign.
- No sales of merchandise or food to either the public or your participants will be allowed. This includes items such as t-shirts for a ‘suggested donation.’
- Large events, events with rental equipment, and/or with caterers cooking onsite, require at least one Park Ranger present during the event as well as during load in.
- You may not enter areas closed to the general public. Permit requests in closed/sensitive areas require additional approval.
- If you want to have a large event (1,000 or more people) at Crissy Field, it will need to go through Project Review, so allow for addtional lead time up to 6 months or more.
- We only allow 3 large events at Fort Mason each year.
- A date and location can be held up to one year in advance with a permit application and application fee.
- Events will not be granted exclusive use of an area.
- We require composting and recycling at all events. Please follow the green event guidelines for the county where your event is being held: Marin, San Francisco, or San Mateo.
- Sound cannot exceed 85db in any park area and 65 dB near buildings and residents.
- Unmanned aircraft, such as drones, regardless of whether the operation is for recreational, hobby, business, or commercial purposes, is not allowed, and will not be permitted.
- Holidays and other event black-out dates exist. Please contact the permit office concerning availability.
- For additional regulations, please read the park's Superintendent's Compendium.
- All large events require a certificate of liability insurance (information below).
- Athletic Events
- Athletic events with fewer than 50 people might not trigger permit requirements. Please confirm with a Permit Specialist before proceeding.
- Events with substantial equipment, such as but not limited to generators, PA systems, signs, etc... requires a permit regardless of group size.
- Special Events with catering, food service, sound equipment, generators, etc...
- Gatherings with fewer than 50 people may not require a permit.
- Gatherings with onsite catering, food service or significant equipment requires a permit, regardless of size.
- All picnic tables in the park are first come, first served and cannot be reserved, except for the group picnic site at West Fort Miley. Special event permits are not issued in designated picnic areas.
- Permits are required for any size wedding or outdoor ceremony group.
- Information about wedding venues for outdoor ceremonies in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area is available at: GGNRA Outdoor Ceremony Sites
- Beach fires with or without a permit are prohibited at Ocean Beach from November 1st through end of February.
- Burning debris, including Christmas trees, anywhere in the GGNRA is not permitted. Only untreated wood may be burned.
- Beach fires are allowed only within fire rings at Ocean Beach and Muir Beach.
- Beach fire rings are first come, first served and cannot be reserved.
- Fires are not permitted when a Spare the Air day/night has been declared.
- Beach fires with fewer than 50 people do not require a permit, unless there will be substantial equipment and/or activities that require additional permitting. No glass on all beaches and no alcohol allowed on Ocean Beach.
- See full list of rules on the Recreational Fire Regulations webpage.
Freedom of speech, press, religion, and assembly are rights protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. People may exercise these rights peacefully in national parks, but the National Park Service retains as its highest priority the protection of park visitors and resources. Therefore, the National Park Service requires a permit for most First Amendment activities in order to establish the location, time, number of participants, and other general conditions under which such events may occur. The content of First Amendment activities is not regulated, and the opinions expressed by permittees do not necessarily reflect the vision, mission and/or policy of the National Park Service.
Please email us regarding any questions or comments related to First Amendment permits.
A permit is required for First Amendment activities that meet any of the following criteria:
- Groups larger than 25 participants
- Utilizes significant equipment including generators, platforms, tents, etc.
- Would like a guarantee of priority use of a specific location
- Requesting an area not designated as a first amendment area in the park's compendium
A group of 25 people or less is not required to obtain a First Amendment Permit if they do not meet the criteria above, but they are encouraged to get one as a permit will prevent another group from reserving the area.
Examples of First Amendment Activities:
- Religious services
- Political speeches
- Press conferences
- Public demonstration, picketing, assembly or rally expressing opinions and views
Type of Activities Not Covered by the First Amendment:
- Church picnic or social gathering
- Wedding ceremonies or receptions
- Political fundraiser or other invitation-only political activity or event
- Solicitation of donations without a permit
- Community parades, athletics, or sporting events
First Amendment permits are issued at no cost to the permittee. Many of the activities not covered by the First Amendment can be accommodated through a Special Use Permit for which cost recovery will be charged.
- In most cases, permits and fees are not required for filming, still photography, or audio recording that involves eight or fewer individuals. In order to avoid permit and fee requirements, the filming, still photography, or audio recording must meet all of the following conditions:
- Occurs in areas open to the public;
- Uses hand-carried equipment only;
- Does not require exclusive use of a site;
- Does not adversely impact park resources, values, or other visitors; and
- Is not likely to result in additional administrative costs for the NPS.
- Permits and fees are never required for filming, still photography, or audio recording that is associated with an activity or event that has been authorized under a written instrument (e.g., permit or agreement), such as a wedding, sporting event, demonstration or other activity.
- All filming, still photography, and audio recording is treated the same under the new law. It does not matter whether it is commercial, non-commercial, for content creation, by a student, or conducted by media or for news gathering.
- When a filming, still photography, or audio recording permit is required, the National Park Service will charge location fees and fees to recover its costs to administer the permit, including application fees.
- Individuals and groups conducting filming, still photography, or audio recording remain subject to all other laws and regulations applicable to visitors to park areas, including those requiring permits for certain activities (e.g., special events or demonstrations) and those prohibiting disturbance or other negative impacts to natural or cultural resources.
- Individuals and groups conducting filming, still photography, or audio recording are subject to entrance and/or recreation fees that may apply in park areas even when a permit is not required.
- For additional information, please visit Filming, Still Photography, and Audio Recording webpage.
- Please email us regarding any questions or comments related to Filming, Photography, or Audio permits.
- Permits are not required for small groups of 25 or less with no reception like activities.
- The scattering of remains is prohibited within Muir Woods National Monument, Fort Point National Historic Site, and on Alcatraz Island.
- Per 36 CFR §2.62(b) – MEMORIALIZATION 34, the scattering of human ashes from cremation is prohibited except in accordance with the following terms and conditions:
- Remains to be scattered must have been cremated and pulverized.
- The scattering of remains within the park is to be performed at least 10 yards from any trail, road, developed facility, or any interior body of water.
- The scattering of remains is prohibited into any inland waters, including any lake, lagoon or stream, and into ocean and tidal waters from uplands or tidelands and from structures, including bridges and piers.
- Scattering shall be distributed in general areas so as not to create a memorial or resource damage.
- Alcatraz Events, Photo/film
- Special Park Use permits are currently not being issued for Alcatraz Island. Due to construction on the island most permits are unlikely to be approved. Special events are not permitted while the public is on the island.
- When filming permits resume, they will most likely only be approved to the one hour between the 8:20am staff boat and the first public boat at 9:20am in the morning. We do hope eventually to also offer an hour or two after the public has left the island during the summer.
- For first amendment requests on Alcatraz, please send a completed permit application to GOGA_Permits@nps.gov.
- Commercial Dog Walking permits are required for any professional walking 4 to 6 dogs on GGNRA lands in San Francisco and Marin counties.
- For more information about Commercial Dog Walking, please click here.
- Please contact a permit specialist for more information via email click here to email us.
- All permit applications must be accompanied by a non-refundable permit application fee of $60. A permit specialist will contact you for payment information after application is received. This fee is non-refundable even if your application is denied, so please contact the office prior to sending in paperwork. The application fee is applied towards your permit costs.
- Submitting an application with the fee does not guarantee your activity or the date requested will be approved. Applications are accepted up to one year in advance. We will let you know within 4 business days that we have received your application, but approval or denial of your activity can range from days to weeks.
- The permit office accepts payment by credit card only, and cannot accept personal or business checks. If you do not have a credit card, a money order is possible in a few rare cases. Please contact the permit office before sending in any funds.
- Permit costs can range from free to over $40,000. While we will be able to give you an estimate of costs over the phone or in email, we cannot tell you the final cost of your activity until after we receive a permit application. We are happy to have a few conversations with you by phone or email, but an application and non-refundable application fee are due prior to the office spending more time than that on your proposal.
- Some activities are required to go through full environmental or historic compliance review.
- Staffing costs are currently $100 per hour per staff member.
For more specific pricing estimates on events please read the Permit Cost Recovery Schedule to estimate potential fees.. Additional charges, such as Temporary Food Event permits, Fire and Safety permits, etc may apply to your activity. Please contact the permit office for more information
All large events are required to have a minimum of $1,000,000 in liability insurance naming the United States of America as additionally insured. Please contact an Event Specialist for more details.
Contact the Office of Special Park Uses
Please understand that we write over 1,000 permits per year, and are usually quite busy. Filling out the application form and sending it in is the fastest way to begin planning your event, but does not guarantee your event will be approved. Permit applications, certificates of insurance, and correspondence to anyone in the Office of Special Park Uses may be mailed or emailed. The Office of Special Park Uses is located on the San Francisco Bay in Fort Mason at the intersection of Bay and Franklin. Paperwork to and from the Office of Special Park Uses is generally done through email, mail, or if needed, in person appointments at Fort Mason Building 201 may be possible.
Individuals who are deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, or have speech disabilities may utilize the following Federal Relay Service Numbers:
(800) 877-8339 Federal Relay Service
(800) 877-6280 VCO
(800) 877-8982 Speech to Speech
(800) 845-6136 Spanish
(866) 893-8340 TeleBraille
Thank you for your interest in Golden Gate National Recreation Area, a unit of your National Park Service.
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