I was under the impression that there is no maximum number of days a permit holder may use/occupy a cabin, however today I just read  the paragraph below on sample copy of a permit that was posted in the "about permits" section of this website on 5/3/2023.

FS-2700-5a (09/2020)

B. MINIMUM OCCUPANCY AND PROHIBITION ON USE AS PRIMARY PLACE OF RESIDENCE.
The recreation residence authorized by this permit shall be occupied at least 15 days each year, unless
otherwise authorized in writing, but no more than 5 months each year. Use of the recreation residence
authorized by this permit as a principal place of residence is prohibited and shall be grounds for
revocation of this permit. Upon request of the authorized officer, the holder shall furnish current
documentation of the holder’s principal place of residence, such as the lease for the holder’s principal
place of residence; the holder’s income tax documentation and property tax documentation for the
holder’s principal place of residence; and/or 7 consecutive months of utility bills in the holder’s name for
the holder’s principal place of residence.

We are new as of last year to the cabin program and, while we don't have any plans to be at our cabin for more than 5 months, who knows if we and other family members might end up being there more than 5 months total? It does feel a bit unnerving to read the above including the possibility of being asked to provide intrusive documentation.

Does anyone out there have any thoughts or insight? Has this always been in the permit but not enforced?

Liz

We confirmed earlier this week the Forest Service, as promised, published a new version of the permit (also dated 09/2020), which removed the 5-month occupancy limitation.  Anyone who was forced to sign a permit with the 5-month limitation (in the last 6 months) should request a permit amendment to remove the limitation. The Forest Service has published an amendment document for those who were issued permits in 2023 to eliminate the 5-month restriction.  A copy of the amendment document can be found on the About Permits webpage under the Resources menu.

original response:

The USFS published a new version of the permit in March, 2023 (version dated 09/2020), which was promptly added to our website. This new version of the permit includes a new restriction, limiting occupancy of a cabin to no more than 5 months per year.  This new restriction came as a surprise to us, and our position is the new restriction is counter to long-standing USFS policy. NFH is working with the USFS to have this restriction removed from the new permit document.

All permits issued prior to March, 2023 do not have this restriction, so there is no maximum occupancy restriction in effect for virtually all existing permit holders. Hopefully we will be able to resolve this issue before any new permits are issued to new permit holders. We will update this posting once we receive an update from the USFS.

Doug Gann, NFH Past President

You are absolutely correct in over a century of this program there has never been any maximum occupancy limit, other than the well known not your permanent residence. 

I assure you NFH leadership is all over this new language. It was inserted into our permit terms without following agency regulation and in violation of laws passed by Congress. We have notified our contacts in the Forest Service Washington Office that they need to remove that language as it was inserted unlawfully. Furthermore, we explained why such a limit is wholly unacceptable. If they remove the 5 month limit that is a significant win. If they do not willingly remove the occupancy limit, NFH will engage our attorney.  If they remove it and then try to reinsert it lawfully, we will object using the law and many in Congress who are big proponents of this Recreation Residence Program.

The NFH annual business meeting and conference was this past weekend. The recent changes in the permit terms (lawful and not) were discussed in several of our sessions. You are welcome to contact me if you would like to know more. 

Best,

Meredith Randall 

NFH President

Yes, the 09/2020 permit is the "current" permit language, so a new permit issued today would contain the 5-month limit.  NFH is working to have this removed from the permit ASAP to eliminate the problem, but in the interim there will be some permits issued with this clause.  We are recommending anyone who can delay requesting a new permit do so until this problem is resolved.

I save and restore these historic cabins. My current one was abandoned for close to 30 years. It was about to be taken over by the FS. It is now a great family cabin. I don't mind keeping it. It is by Jenks Lake with great fishing and kayaking. But my objective was to continue saving this important part of FS - American History.
Please keep us posted on the latest regarding 5-month limit....and thank you for the great job our leadership and members are doing.
Dr. R. Reyes