Placing stickers on the annual America the Beautiful pass could now invalidate it, according to an internal email to regional National Park Service staff obtained by SFGATE. The email was sent from department business specialists Allison Christofis and Jeff Beauchamp and shared updated guidelines for passes in 2026, highlighting changes to the Department of the Interior's altered pass policy.
Interior’s updated “Void if Altered” rules for 2026 flag stickers and other coverings as alterations that could invalidate the pass. The move comes as visitors have been preparing to cover the image of Trump found on the America the Beautiful pass for U.S. residents. Some artists and small businesses have even begun selling stickers designed to cover the pass’s image of George Washington and Donald Trump. For example, watercolor artist Jenny McCarty began selling stickers featuring scenes from national parks, saying the designs are meant as a form of protest and an effort to restore what she views as the pass’s aesthetic purpose.
The updated policy specifically states that “[d]efacing the pass in any way, including writing on it or adding stickers or other coverings, is a form of altering the pass. Altering a pass can cover up important information and required security features necessary to prevent fraud.” It also explains that staff members can make a judgment call on whether to accept altered passes, assuming that all security features are all still visible. Staff members can ask visitors to remove any stickers or charge the visitor for a day pass or pass replacement.
Elizabeth Peace, a senior public affairs specialist with Interior, told SFGATE that changes made were to clarify the existing policy, saying, “[The changes] provided additional clarification to help avoid confusion and support visitor interactions due to the volume of questions received from staff and visitors.”
There is an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Center for Biological Diversity alleging that the administration broke the law when it placed Trump’s face on the pass. The lawsuit cites a federal law passed in 2004 that requires that the main America the Beautiful Pass must feature the winning photo of the National Park Foundation’s annual public lands photo contest.
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