Payments, Cancellations, Refunds, and Transfer Policies

• Reservations for shelters, lodges, campsites, and other Park facilities can be made online, or by calling or visiting the Monroe County Parks Administration Office in Highland Park, Monday through Friday between 8:30am and 4:30pm (except Holidays)
• Payments for shelters, lodges, campsites, and other Park facilities can be made by Visa or MasterCard (credit or debit) online or in person at the Park Administration Office in Highland Park.
  • Payments by check, money order, or cash can only be made when making the reservation in person at the Park Administration Office.
• Payment must be made at the time of making the reservation.
• Once payment is made, a confirmation will be generated.
  • If you provided an email address, your confirmation will be emailed automatically to you from our reservation system.
  • If you did not provide an email address, we will give or send you a paper copy of your confirmation in the US Mail to the address provided on your reservation.
• Your confirmation serves as proof of payment (receipt) and proof of reservation.
  • Please keep the email and/or hard copy for your records, and bring it to the park on the date of your reservation.
• If you want to cancel or transfer (change of date or facility) your reservation after payment has been made, please call the Monroe County Parks Reservation Office between 8:30a.m. and 4:30p.m., Monday through Friday, at 585-753-PARK (7275), a minimum of 14 days prior to the reservation date.
• There will be no refund given for a cancellation made within 14 days of the reservation date.
• If you want to transfer your reservation after payment has been made (change your reservation date or facility) there is a $10 handling fee.
• There will be no transfers (changes of date or facility) within 14 days of the reservation date. 
• We cannot cancel, transfer, or refund on account of weather.
• If you are eligible for a refund, your refund will be processed on our end within 5 days (minus a 15% handling fee).
  • If initial payment was made by check, money order, or cash, a refund check will be mailed to you at the address provided on your reservation.
  • If initial payment was made by Visa or Mastercard, a refund will be credited to the same card on which your initial purchase was made.
• Payments made less than 14 days in advance of the reserved date are nonrefundable.
• Bounced checks require a $35 processing fee, in addition to repayment of the reservation, to reinstate the reservation.
  • Repayment can only be made by Visa or Mastercard (debit or credit), money order, or cash.

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.