Commercial Use Authorization

Commercial Services Office

e-mail us
[phone]
National Park Service
Commercial Services
P.O. Box 52
Hawaii National Park, HI 96718

 

 

Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) for Out of Park Services: Section 418 of the National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998, Public Law 105-391 (Section 418), authorizes the National Park Service (NPS) to issue commercial use authorizations (CUAs) to persons (referring to individuals, corporations, and other entities) to provide commercial services to park area visitors in limited circumstances. CUAs provide a means to authorize suitable commercial services to visitors in park areas. The CUA is used to provide for incidental use of park area resources by operators who provide commercial services originating and terminating outside of the park area (Out-of-Park-Services).

 

What Activities are Authorized in Hawai'i Volcanoes Through a CUA?

 

Non-Road Based Commercial Tours
These include:

• conducting a guided tour with incidental stops along park roadways in a vehicle with a capacity of 15 or fewer passengers
• conducting a hiking tour of one mile or more on a designated trail
• conducting a bird watching tour on foot for more than one hour at one location
• conducting a photography workshop
• conducting bicycling tours
  

 

Road-based Commercial Tours
Traveling within a single 16+ passenger capacity vehicle on an improved roadway on an itinerary sold for leisure/recreational/educational purposes. Road-based Commercial Tour CUA holders provide no other services except those that are incidental to road-based travel.




All CUAs are processed and issued through the new digital system. Click "Opportunities" and then "Search By Park" for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park to find the service for which you wish to apply. You will need to use an account with Login.gov to sign in and apply. A Login.gov account is free. A video with further instructions is here.

During the process, there are options to upload other required documents, as listed below.

A $350 application fee will be due to each park to which a Road-based Commercial Tour CUA operator applies. A reduced application fee of $250 will be charged for subsequent applications received in the same park for the same CUA season for other types of services.

A completed online packet for submission to our office must include:

1. Online Application with complete business contact information.
2. Certificate of Insurance (COI).
3. Written itinerary and operating plan.
4. Maps of one-mile hikes, if conducting a hiking tour.
5. Payment of application fee, assessed at the end of the application process.

 

Entrance Fees

Non-Road based Guided Tours:

$15.00 per person

Road Based Guided Tour:
This fee is based on vehicle seating capacity

Capacity	User Fee
16-25 person mini-bus	$100.00
26 or more person bus	$200.00

 

Insurance Requirements for CUA Holders

The permittee must provide commercial liability insurance against claims arising out of or resulting from the acts or omissions of the permittee or the permittee's employees, agents, or contractors, in carrying out the activities and operations required and/or authorized under the permit. This office must be in receipt of verification of insurance coverage before any commercial park operations may take place.

Commercial General Liability Insurance

All CUA holders are required to maintain comprehensive general liability coverage in the amount of $500,000 minimum per occurrence. Comprehensive general liability insurance is designed to provide broad coverage for liability to other persons. Generally, it covers all liability for personal injuries or property damage caused to other persons, unless specifically excluded.

Commercial Automobile Liability Coverage

In addition to general liability coverage, the CUA holder must also maintain commercial automobile liability coverage for all owned, non-owned, and hired vehicles used to carry clients within the park for a trip under the CUA or if you utilize a vehicle in the performance of your CUA within the park. The minimum amount of commercial automobile liability coverage required is based on the number of passengers a vehicle was originally manufactured to carry and is shown in the application.

 

Worker's Compensation

Permittees with employees must be in compliance with the insurance requirements under the Hawaii Worker's Compensation Act.

Additional Insurance Information

All liability policies must specify that the insurance company will (1) have no right or subrogation against the United States of America AND must (2) provide that the United States of America is named an additional insured.

The NPS may require additional insurance commensurate with the risk involved with your commercial service and the scope and size of the activities. IMPORTANT: The name on the certificate of insurance must match your business name, including any names used under "doing business as". The certificate should be uploaded with the application in the new digital system. The certificate holder's address must read:

U.S. Government

National Park Service

Commercial Services

P.O. Box 52

Hawaii National Park, HI 96718

Example of Insurance Certificate (.pdf, 75 KB)

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

Resources

Example of Insurance Certificate (.pdf, 75 KB)