Visitors sue National Park Service over policy prohibiting cash payments

[DC77]

45. Research

I can find no precedent where this issue was decided in the context of a federal agencies such as the National Park Service and U.S. Dept. of the Interior. I don’t want to pay PACER to download the Complaint, which may have additional info. If it gets to briefing, I would like to see any cited cases and compare the facts to this one.

The rationale for the refusal is logical per this article
https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/national-parks/2024/03/20/national-park-service-lawsuit-cashless-entry/73041024007/:

The number of formal banks with relationships with the Treasury Department, where we could actually take cash, has really dried up especially in more rural or remote areas,” he said.

That combined with the closure of many brick and mortar banks force park staff to take that cash even farther to deposit, costing both time and money. Death Valley spent roughly $40,000 a year on processing and transporting cash, according to the park.

For a private business (not the issue but this is the legal code cited by plaintiffs), it may refuse to accept cash per the Federal Reserve:

Is it legal for a business in the United States to refuse cash as a form of payment?

There is no federal statute mandating that a private business, a person, or an organization must accept currency or coins as payment for goods or services. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether to accept cash unless there is a state law that says otherwise.

Section 31 U.S.C. 5103, entitled "Legal tender," states: "United States coins and currency [including Federal Reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal Reserve Banks and national banks] are legal tender for all debts, public charges, taxes, and dues." This statute means that all U.S. money as identified above is a valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor.