Terms of Service

Effective Date: January 2025
Last Updated: January 2025

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using PermitScout ("the Service"), you accept and agree to be bound by the terms and provision of this agreement. If you do not agree to abide by these Terms of Service, you are not authorized to use or access the Service.

2. Description of Service

PermitScout provides automated monitoring of wilderness permit availability through the recreation.gov website for Yosemite National Park and other outdoor recreation areas. The Service sends notifications when permits become available that match your preferences.

Service Features

• Real-time monitoring of permit availability on recreation.gov
• Email and SMS notifications when permits become available
• User dashboard for managing trip preferences
• Historical data and reporting features

3. User Responsibilities

Account Security

• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account information
• You must provide accurate and complete information when registering
• You must promptly update any changes to your contact information
• You are responsible for all activities under your account

Permitted Use

• Use the Service only for personal, non-commercial purposes
• Monitor permits only for trips you intend to take
• Respect the recreation.gov terms of service when booking permits
• Do not attempt to circumvent usage limits or monitoring restrictions

Prohibited Activities

• Do not use automated tools to interact with the Service beyond intended functionality
• Do not attempt to overwhelm or disrupt the Service infrastructure
• Do not share accounts or allow unauthorized access
• Do not use the Service for commercial permit resale or speculation
• Do not reverse engineer or attempt to extract underlying data

4. Service Availability and Limitations

No Guarantee of Availability

• The Service is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind
• We do not guarantee continuous or uninterrupted service availability
• We may temporarily suspend service for maintenance or updates
• We cannot guarantee that permits will become available for your desired dates

Usage Limits

• Maximum of 7 monitored dates per user across all trip preferences
• Notification frequency may be limited to prevent spam
• We reserve the right to implement fair use policies

5. Third-Party Services

PermitScout monitors publicly available information on recreation.gov. We are not affiliated with the National Park Service, recreation.gov, or any government entity. You are responsible for:

• Complying with recreation.gov terms of service when booking permits
• Following all National Park Service rules and regulations
• Obtaining proper permits and documentation for your trips
• Understanding that permit availability information may be delayed or inaccurate

6. SMS and Email Communications

Consent and Opt-out

• By providing your phone number, you consent to receive SMS notifications
• Message frequency varies based on permit availability (typically 0-10 messages/month)
• Standard message and data rates may apply
• Text "STOP" to any message to opt out of SMS notifications
• Text "HELP" to any message for customer support
• You can unsubscribe from email notifications through your account settings

7. Privacy and Data Protection

Your privacy is important to us. Please review our Privacy Policy for detailed information about how we collect, use, and protect your personal information.

8. Intellectual Property

The Service and its original content, features, and functionality are owned by PermitScout and are protected by international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws.

9. Disclaimer of Warranties

We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to:

• Warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose
• Warranties regarding the accuracy or timeliness of permit information
• Warranties of uninterrupted or error-free service
• Warranties regarding the availability of permits

10. Limitation of Liability

In no event shall PermitScout be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to:

• Lost profits or missed permit opportunities
• Travel expenses or trip cancellations
• Data loss or system downtime
• Third-party actions or service interruptions

11. Account Termination

User-Initiated Termination

• You may delete your account at any time through your account settings
• Account deletion will permanently remove all your data within 30 days

Service-Initiated Termination

We reserve the right to terminate accounts for:

• Violation of these Terms of Service
• Abuse of the Service or attempts to disrupt functionality
• Providing false or misleading information
• Prolonged account inactivity (after reasonable notice)

12. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time. When we make changes:

• We'll update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this document
• For significant changes, we'll notify you via email or account dashboard
• Your continued use of the Service constitutes acceptance of the updated terms

13. Governing Law

These Terms of Service shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States and the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles.

14. Contact Information

If you have questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us:

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