Rules & Regulations for Park Lodge & Shelter Reservations

Payments, Cancellations, Refunds, and Transfer Policies

Making Reservations

  • You can reserve shelters, lodges, campsites, and other park facilities online or by contacting the Monroe County Parks Administration Office (located in Highland Park) in person or by phone, Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (excluding holidays).
  • Payment is required at the time of reservation.

Accepted Payment Methods

  • Online or in person: Visa, MasterCard, Discover (credit or debit)
  • In person only: Cash, check, or money order

Confirmation of Reservation

  • After payment, a confirmation receipt will be generated:
    • If an email address was provided, it will be emailed to you automatically.
    • If not, a printed copy will be mailed to the address on your reservation.
  • This confirmation serves as both your proof of payment and reservation—bring it with you on the day of your event.

Cancellations, Transfers, and Refund Policies

All of the following policies take effect immediately upon the making of a reservation.

Cancellations

  • To cancel a reservation, you must call the Reservation Office at 585-753-7275 at least 14 days before your scheduled reservation.
  • Cancellations made less than 14 days before the reservation date are nonrefundable.
  • Refunds (for eligible cancellations) will be issued minus a 15% handling fee.

Transfers (Changing Date or Facility)

  • Requests to transfer a reservation must also be made at least 14 days in advance.
  • All eligible transfers are subject to a $10 handling fee.
  • No transfers will be allowed within 14 days of the reservation date.

Additional Notes

  • Weather cancellations are not permitted. No refunds or transfers will be given due to weather conditions.
  • Payments made less than 14 days before the reserved date are nonrefundable.

Refund Processing

  • Refunds will be processed by our office within 5 business days of cancellation.
    • Credit/debit card payments will be refunded to the original card.
    • Cash, check, or money order payments will receive a refund by check, mailed to the reservation address.

Returned (Bounced) Check Policy

  • If a check is returned (bounced), a $35 processing fee will be charged.
  • The reservation will be canceled until full repayment is made.
  • Repayment must be made by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, cash, or money order.

Security Deposits

The Monroe County Parks Department collects a refundable security deposit at the time you book a lodge or shelter in the parks.  We collect this deposit to help protect and preserve our lodge and shelters for future use by their owners – the people of Monroe County!

Our hope is to never keep a penny of your deposit. Unfortunately, in very rare circumstances, to protect the investment the people of Monroe County have made in these public facilities, we may need to partially or completely withhold your deposit to help pay for:

  • Damage to the facility, including, but not limited to, broken windows and doors, holes in walls and window sills, scrapes and other damage to floors
  • Broken or missing furniture and appliances
  • Damage to the surrounding lawn or fields
  • Excessive spill or messes (paints, oils, glitter, confetti, etc.) in the lodge and in the surrounding fields
  • Staying past the 10:30 departure time without a permit
  • Setting up equipment without the proper permits
  • Leaving trash behind in the facility, unless otherwise stated in your rental agreement

Your security deposit will never be withheld for the routine cleaning of your lodge or shelter that we always perform between rentals, and all decisions about whether issues should lead to the loss of a security deposit are made at the highest levels in our department.

If you pay by credit or debit card, we will automatically begin the process of refunding your deposit four business days after your reservation, although it may take several more days for the funds to appear on your statement. If your original payment was by check or cash, or you no longer have the card used to make the reservation, your refund will be issued by check, which may take up to three weeks to reach you.

By checking agree, you are acknowledging that you understand you will be charged a security deposit for your rental and the circumstances that may lead to some or all of your deposit not being returned.

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