Overview
- An internal email from Interior Department business specialists instructed National Park Service staff that writing, stickers or other coverings constitute alterations that can invalidate a pass because they may obscure anti-fraud security features.
- Rangers may use discretion to accept altered cards if security elements remain visible, ask visitors to remove coverings, or require a day pass or a replacement card.
- Interior said the update did not change policy and was issued to clarify enforcement after a surge of questions from staff and visitors.
- The 2026 resident pass features President Trump alongside George Washington; the Center for Biological Diversity has sued over the selection process, and the Justice Department has appeared to defend the government.
- Protest stickers have sold in large numbers—Colorado artist Jenny McCarty reports more than 7,000 sold—while new pricing sets resident passes at $80 and nonresident passes at $250, with some top parks adding a $100 per-person fee for nonresidents without a pass.