NPS gate attendant bonds.
$5,000 fixed. $275 flat.

A Volunteer in Parks who handles fees for the National Park Service — a gate attendant collecting entrance or campground fees — must be bonded. This is the fixed $5,000 fidelity bond: $275, our minimum, with no credit check.

For an NPS fee-handling volunteer under the Volunteers in the Parks program (54 U.S.C. §102301)
Fixed amount, fixed price — $5,000 bond, $275, no quote process
No credit check on this bond — small fixed-amount fidelity bonds don’t need one
A-ratedA.M. Best carriersFastoften same purchase1–3 yrterms available
Trusted by industry leaders
NYCEDC
BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
NYCEDC
BDG
Capital
McKinney
Terra
JLL
Triple Five
Georgetown
How it works

Three steps. One sitting.

Fixed-amount fidelity bonds are the simplest thing in surety. Here’s the whole process:

NOW · 5 MINUTES

Apply online

The volunteer and sponsoring details and an effective date. That’s the application — no credit check section, no follow-up scavenger hunt.

MINUTES, USUALLY

Pay & e-sign

Fixed-amount bonds like this are among the thousands that issue right after purchase. At most, 1–2 business days.

SAME DAY

File with the park

Your executed bond arrives by email, ready to give the park so the volunteer can be assigned to fee collection. Wet-ink original mailed on request.

The whole pricing page.

$5,000 bond × 3% = $150, which is below our $275 minimum, so the price is $275 per term. Fixed amount, fixed price, multi-year if you want it.

1-year term
$275
2-year term
$550
3-year term
$825
About this bond

What it is and who needs it.

What the volunteer fidelity bond covers

The National Park Service runs its Volunteers-In-Parks (VIP) program under the Volunteers in the Parks Act of 1969, now codified at 54 U.S.C. §102301. Volunteers help staff parks — including gate attendants who collect entrance, campground, and use fees.

Because those volunteers handle government money, NPS policy (Director’s Order 7 / Reference Manual 7, and the fee-program guidance) requires fee-handling volunteers to be bonded, background-checked, and trained before they collect fees. This $5,000 fidelity bond is that coverage.

A fidelity bond protects the obligee against dishonesty — here, it backs the volunteer’s honest handling of the fees collected for the United States. If the surety pays a loss caused by dishonesty, it pursues the responsible party. This page is the fixed $5,000 version most parks request for a gate attendant.

54 U.S.C. §102301 (Volunteers in the Parks Act)The Volunteers in the Parks Act of 1969 (now 54 U.S.C. §102301) authorizes the NPS Volunteers-In-Parks program. NPS policy (Director’s Order 7 / Reference Manual 7 and recreation-fee guidance) requires fee-handling volunteers — such as gate attendants — to be bonded, background-checked, and trained before collecting fees. The amount commonly used for a gate attendant is $5,000; confirm the figure with the park.

You need this bond if you are

An NPS gate attendant volunteer assigned to collect entrance or campground fees
A park or friends group sponsoring a fee-handling volunteer who must be bonded
A VIP volunteer the park has cleared for fee collection pending a bond
Renewing a volunteer bond for a returning seasonal gate attendant

Five minutes. The whole thing.

These are the actual issuing fields — no credit check section, because this fixed-amount fidelity bond doesn’t have one.

Start the application →
FAQs

Common questions.

If yours isn't here, the bond team can usually answer within the hour.

How much is the $5,000 NPS volunteer bond? +
The premium is $275 — our minimum. Three percent of $5,000 is $150, which is below the minimum, so every volunteer pays $275 for this fixed bond, the same for every term.
Do I pay the $5,000? +
No. You pay $275. The $5,000 is the surety’s maximum liability if a valid dishonesty claim is made — it is not a deposit, and nobody holds your money.
Why does a volunteer need a bond? +
Because fee-handling volunteers handle government money. NPS policy requires gate attendants and other fee-collecting volunteers to be bonded, background-checked, and trained before they collect fees, under the Volunteers in the Parks Act program.
Is there a credit check? +
Not on this bond — the application has no credit section at all. Small fixed-amount fidelity bonds like this one don’t need one.
Can I use a different amount? +
This page is the fixed $5,000 bond most parks request for a gate attendant. If your park specified a different amount, send it to us and we’ll issue the bond at that figure — still a flat 3%, $275 minimum.
Related bonds

Other New York bonds.

Get the volunteer on the gate today.

$275 flat, five-minute application, bond often issued in the same sitting. Free until issued.

Your premium @ 3%$275
Apply now →