Special Recreation Permits are authorizations which allow specified recreational uses of the public lands and related waters. They are issued as a means to manage visitor use, protect natural and cultural resources, and provide a mechanism to accommodate commercial recreational uses. Authorized by the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, there are five types of uses for which these permits are required: commercial, competitive, vending, individual or group use in special areas, and organized group activity and event use. In short, if you are going to use public lands and revive a financial gain from that use, a special event permit is required. The various land management agencies have specific permit requirements such as groups size and application time frames and deadlines. However, all agencies subscribe to the same basic criteria for defining type of permit required. The below is a general description for the Special Recreation Permit requirements employed by Bureau of Land Management.
