Financial Assistance for Permits

Dane County Parks offers financial assistance to Dane County residents with financial limitations that prevent them from purchasing a permit. All Dane County park permits (except State Trail Passes) are eligible for financial assistance. To request financial assistance, please email the following information to Dane County Parks at dane-parks@danecounty.gov:

• an explanation of why you are requesting assistance,
• which permit you are requesting
• mailing address to receive your permit (please indicate if you prefer to pick it up from the Parks Office).

All annual permits are valid from January 1st through December 31st with the exception of Lake Access, which is valid from January 1st until March 31st of the following year. A new permit assistance request must be made to apply for a new permit when the old one has expired.

If you are a member of a community group or nonprofit organization and want to request assistance for a shelter reservation or another activity in the Dane County Park System, please review the "Waiving Fees" section of the Event Rules & Information webpage.

Examples when financial assistance is NOT available:

• Financial assistance is not available for camping or shelter reservations. These elective reservations are private bookings for personal events or overnight stays.
• Financial assistance is not available for violation notice fees. These fees are assessed when park rules are not followed and are enforcement-related penalties intended to encourage compliance with park regulations.