Automatic Adjustment of Minimum Special Recreation Permit and Assigned Site Fees

United States Department of the Interior
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
Grand Junction, Colorado 81506
https://www.blm.gov

September 11, 2020

In Reply Refer To:
2930 (HQ-430) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 09/15/2020
Instruction Memorandum No. 2020-032
Expires:  02/28/2023

To:                  All Headquarters Offices and Field Office Officials
                       Attn: State Recreation Leads and Outdoor Recreation Planners

From:              Assistant Director, National Conservation Lands and Community Partnerships

Subject:           Automatic Adjustment of Minimum Special Recreation Permit and Assigned Site Fees

Program Area:  Recreation and Visitor Services.

Purpose: The purpose of this Instruction Memorandum (IM) is to announce the minimum commercial, competitive and organized group Special Recreation Permit (SRP) fees, and the minimum assigned site fee.  These fees constitute the Director’s minimum fee schedule.

Mission or Administrative Related:  Mission.

Policy/Action: The Federal government published the following fees in the Federal Register (85 Fed. Reg. 47400) on August 5, 2020:

• The minimum annual SRP fee increased from $110 to $115.
• The minimum assigned site fee associated with exclusive commercial use increased from $220 to $230.
• The “per person per day” fee for competitive events and organized groups remained at $6.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) field offices will use the date of this IM as the effective date for the new minimum fees and adjust their billing statements according to their calendar or fiscal year time frames.  All permits issued prior to the date of this IM with an effective duration extending beyond that date must contain the new fees.  Field offices must insert the new fees in all new permits meeting these criteria, and amend all permits extending beyond the date of this IM to include the applicable fees.

Timeframe: The new fee schedule is effective on the date of this IM and remains in effect unless amended through February 28, 2023.

Budget Impact: The application of this policy will have an immaterial impact on the budget.  The BLM expects this increase to be budget neutral.

Background: The BLM, in concert with the U.S. Forest Service, automatically adjusts the minimum commercial and assigned site fee every 3 years.  This typically occurs in March for the BLM. In addition, the BLM adjusts the individual competitive and organized group SRP fees on the same schedule.  The automatic 3-year fee adjustment policies and fee calculation methodologies were published in the Federal Register on October 19, 1989 (54 FR 42998) and July 29, 1999 (64 FR 41133).  Individual state directors also have the authority to impose application fees, as a matter of cost recovery, and/or to establish higher minimum fees and fees for other types of SRPs in accordance with 43 CFR 2932.31(d).  The minimum SRP and assigned site fees are recalculated every 3 years, using the fees for 1993 as the base year, and compounding them annually using the Gross National Product Implicit Price Deflator Index.  The minimum commercial SRP fee and assigned site fee are rounded to the nearest $5.  The “per person per day” fee for competitive events and group events is rounded to the nearest $1.

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: This IM updates the Director’s Fee Schedule, Figure 2, contained in H-2930-1, BLM Recreation Permit and Fee Administration Handbook, Rel. 2-300 dated November 17, 2014, and replaces stated minimum SRP fees throughout the Handbook.

Coordination: The fee adjustment was coordinated with the U.S. Forest Service and in accordance with the 1989 and 1999 Federal Register notices that established the process for adjusting minimum SRP fees every three years. 

Contact: For any questions, please contact Cory Roegner, National Recreation Permit and Fee Program Manager, croegner@blm.gov, or (385) 258-0496, or KC Craven, Outdoor Recreation Planner, kcraven@blm.gov, or (702) 515-5374.

Signed by:                                                                   Authenticated by:
Alan R. Bittner                                                           Robert M. Williams
Acting, Assistant Director                                          Division of External Affairs,(HQ-630)
National Conservation Lands and
    Community Partnerships