Concessions Program

Concessionaires offer many goods and services that State Parks could not, in most cases, otherwise provide. Concessions range from traditional food service and campground stores to recreational equipment rentals, equestrian experiences, guided tours and glamping. State Parks partners with a variety of small businesses through concession contracts to offer the public necessary and appropriate services that contribute to high quality experiences for park visitors.  

Agreements last from a couple of months to several years. The Concession Manager will work with you to determine an appropriate length. In some cases, it makes sense to write a short term (less than one year) agreement. This may be ideal for someone starting a brand-new business and would like to see how it will work in the park environment. For an established concession model such as park store or rental operation, a longer agreement would be appropriate. Most concession agreements are in five-year increments.

State Parks is always looking for quality concessionaires to provide traditional park concession services as well as entrepreneurs wishing to develop and grow their own exciting food or recreational business. To become a concessionaire with the Washington State Parks there are two ways in which you can explore:

• Respond to an opening for an existing park concession: These opportunities are generally made available to the public through a request for proposal (RFP) process.
• Develop your own idea for a concession: Some of our most popular concessions have been ideas proposed by our own Concessionaires!  Do you have an exciting idea that aligns with our mission and you believe would be popular with park visitors?  We would like to hear from you!  Please contact the Concession Manager for further instruction.

To receive e-mailed notices about available concession opportunities, visit and sign up for WEBS (Washington Enterprise business Solutions).  Registering in WEBS is free and takes 10-30 minutes to register.  It uses a commodity code system meaning that you select certain codes that are of interest to you.  When a bid opportunity is released, the publisher also selects a commodity code that aligns with the objective.  If the codes are the same, the system will send you an email alert that there’s an opportunity that matches the code you selected.  The commodity code normally used for our concessions is: 961-15 Concessions, Catering, Vending: Mobile and Stationary. Other commodity codes may be used depending on the type of services required, so please check all that apply to your business.  

Not sure if what you want to do is considered a Concession or Commercial Use? There are some similarities and differences and below are some defining characteristics of each. However, it is best for you to have a conversation with the Concession Manager to help determine what is best for your activity.

State Parks Concessions:

• Have a fixed site within the park. This could be a brick and mortar structure, mobile stand, or a designated area within the park.
• Have frequent or daily interaction with park patrons
• Advertise within the park 

Commercial Use Provider

• Uses park property for their business activities 
• Has no fixed location within park
• Charges customers a fee for service (business transactions take place off site or through a website)
• Does not advertise within the park

For more information on Commercial Use, please visit our Commercial Use Permit page.