Visitors sue National Park Service over policy prohibiting cash payments

Three visitors have sued the National Park Service over its policy of banning cash payments in various parts of the country.

Elizabeth Dasberg of Georgia, Esther van der Werf of California, and Toby Stover of New York filed a lawsuit in early March alleging that the Park Service’s cashless policy violates federal law. woke up.

The three said they could not use cash when visiting monuments, national parks and other locations in the United States. He said NPS’ policy of refusing to accept cash in some locations violates federal law because U.S. currency is “legal tender for all utility bills.” The lawsuit, filed on March 6th, alleges:

The lawsuit alleges that the NPS “violations” “cannot be overlooked,” but the plaintiffs told the court that “visitors to NPS sites who use credit cards, debit cards, or digital payment methods (such as Apple Pay) “We are not asking that NPS prohibit them from accepting them if they wish to do so.” Please use them. ”

Plaintiffs’ cash payments were denied in Georgia, Arizona, and New York.

Van der Werf was reportedly banned from entering the country at three different locations in Arizona run by federal agencies. Stover was unable to visit the Roosevelt Vanderbilt National Historic Site in New York because he wanted to spend $10 in cash on a tour.

According to the complaint, NPS does not accept cash payments at 29 stores.

In Arizona, a cashless policy for park passes has been in effect since 2019. Similar adjustments will be made in Montana, Colorado and California this year. NPS claims this transition has reduced wait times and made it easier to calculate each visitor’s bill.