Permits and fees
You do not always
need one.
Most guides write about the Glamis permit as though it applies year round. It does not. The fee season runs October 1 through April 15, and outside those dates there is no permit and no fee. Here is where today falls.
Current fees
Three prices,
and the cheapest needs planning.
| Permit | Fee | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly, bought in advance | $55 | The off-site price. Buy before you leave and save $15. |
| Weekly, bought on site | $70 | What you pay for turning up without one. |
| Season | $185 | Pays for itself in under four weekly permits. |
Fee schedule effective October 1, 2025, published by BLM. If another site quotes different numbers, it has not been updated.
What the fee actually covers
Your rig,
not each toy.
The primary vehicle
The fee is for the street-legal vehicle you use to get to the dunes. You are not buying a permit per quad, per sand rail or per bike, which is the single most common misunderstanding about the cost of a Glamis trip.
April 16 to September 30
No permit is required and no fee is charged. That is also when the heat becomes genuinely dangerous, which is the real reason people are not out there, not the paperwork.
California registration
California residents must register off-highway vehicles with the DMV and display a valid Green Sticker or Red Sticker identification tag. That is a state requirement and has nothing to do with your BLM permit.
Flags, helmets, sound
A permit does not make you legal on its own. Every vehicle needs a whip and flag, ATV riders need helmets regardless of age, and machines are capped at 96 dBA. See the full rules →
Changing this season
The Cahuilla station
is moving to Cement Flats.
BLM is replacing the Cahuilla Ranger Station on Gecko Road, the main one, and the work spans the next two seasons. The station relocates to Cement Flats in summer 2026, the old building is demolished late in 2026, construction starts in 2027, and the new station opens in summer 2028.
What that means in practice if you are coming this season: buy your permit at the temporary station at Cement Flats, from an approved off-site vendor, or online at isdpermits.net. Do not drive to the old station expecting it to be open.
Medical cover is not going away with the building. BLM says emergency medical service trailers will be at the temporary Cement Flats station for walk-in injuries, and that law enforcement, trash collection, sand removal and bathroom cleaning all continue through the construction. Anything urgent is still 911. See safety.
Where this comes from
Straight from
the land manager.
Every figure and date on this page is published by the Bureau of Land Management, which manages the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. Fees change, and they changed most recently on October 1, 2025. Before you rely on any of it for a trip, confirm with the El Centro Field Office on (760) 337-4400 or check blm.gov directly.
One closure worth knowing before you plan a route: the North Algodones Dunes Wilderness is closed to all vehicles and mechanized use. It is a substantial part of the dune system and it is not ridable, permit or no permit.