Permits at Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is open to the public year-round. No permit is required if you are visiting the refuge on your own or as a member of a recreational group. 

Special Use Permits are Required for:

• Guiding of Recreational or Educational Groups
• Water Taxi Operators
• Air Transporter or Taxi Operators
• Commercial Videography or Photography
• Scientific Research

Additional permits may be required if photographing/filming polar bears or other marine mammals for commercial or educational purposes. Information about this process is available at Guidelines for Commercial or Educational Photography and Filming of Polar Bears.

If you are uncertain if the activity you wish to conduct requires a Special Use Permit, please email arctic_permits@fws.gov or call 907-888-5704.

To apply for a special use permit, follow the steps outlined on the web page above for that specific activity. A $100 fee may be required.

For commercial activities, there are two application periods: 

• Applications should be submitted October 1 to November 30 for activities occurring in the spring.
• Applications should be submitted January 1 to March 15 for activities occurring in the summer or fall.

For scientific research, there is one application period: October 1 to November 30.

Application Processing

In general, the application review process can take up to 45 days, so applications should be submitted as early as possible. 

During the application review, refuge staff takes into consideration refuge management plans and policies and state and federal laws, including the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), the Refuge Administration Act, the Refuge Improvement Act of 1997, the Wilderness Act, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Marine Mammals Protection Act, and the Arctic Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan. 

Based on these management plans, policies, and state and federal laws, careful consideration is given to applications that include:

• Motorized equipment - All requests for motorized access not specifically allowed by ANILCA (e.g., helicopters, all-terrain vehicles, airboats) are carefully scrutinized and may be prohibited.
• Installations - Placement of installations (e.g., data collection stations, weather stations, remote video, and rock bolts) are carefully scrutinized and may be prohibited.
• Wildlife - The potential for the proposed activity to interfere with or attract wildlife, or its potential for causing dangerous interactions between wildlife and humans, will be carefully examined and may result in modification or denial of the proposed activity.
• Group size - Total group size for permitted commercial recreational activities is limited to seven people for groups on foot and ten people for float trips. These numbers include guides. For float trips, each company is limited to one group on an individual river at a time. Other special use permit holders such as scientific groups are limited to personnel directly involved in program activities.
   

Attention Drone Users:

The use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drones) in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is prohibited unless authorized in advance through a special use permit or letter of authorization.