AB 1804 cements the California State Library Parks Pass so Californians can borrow a day-use pass like a book and get outside.
Legislation has been introduced in the Assembly that matters if you like getting out of town and into wild places. California’s library-based parks pass — the program that lets a library card check you into a state park with a vehicle day-use pass — has been wildly popular, and AB 1804 is the push to stop it from wobbling on short-term budget choices.
Assemblymember Gregg Hart (D-Santa Barbara) introduced a bill to add language to the Public Resources Code that would allow the California Department of Parks and Recreation to officially partner with the California State Library and local library systems to provide passes. The California State Parks Foundation’s press release states that thousands of passes have flowed through more than 1,100 public libraries. At over 200 participating parks, those passes are now among libraries’ most checked-out items.
If your branch participates, you check the pass out like a book. Expect busy weekends at coast and foothill parks — treat the pass like a reservation for a popular trailhead: get there early, bring sun and water, and if your library loans the optional gear pack (binoculars, compass, wildlife guide), borrow that too. Libraries rotate the passes, so return them on time so the next family gets a shot. If your household worries about the cost of entry, this program clears that hurdle; if your branch doesn’t offer it yet, ask them to explore joining.
The pass began as an access-focused pilot program in 2021, expanded in 2022, and has continued to grow in popularity year over year. Funding has been pieced together in recent budgets following late restorations, but this patchwork leaves the program vulnerable. AB 1804 doesn’t mandate a permanent pot of money; it creates a statutory mechanism that allows the department and the library to partner and distribute passes, improving the odds of steady support without locking the state into inflexible spending.
The program is helping more and more Californians access nature. If you care about parks, check your library catalog, ask your branch if they don’t participate, and keep the passes moving through the system — when they circulate, the parks stay open.
Read more at the California State Parks Foundation HERE.
Follow the bill through the State Legislature HERE.
Here’s the current text of the bill as of today:
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 1804
Introduced by Assembly Member Hart (Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Caloza)
February 10, 2026
An act to add Section 5011.3 to the Public Resources Code, relating to state parks.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST
AB 1804, as introduced, Hart. State parks: parks passes: libraries.
Existing law authorizes the Department of Parks and Recreation to collect fees, rents, and other returns for the use of any state park system area, as provided. Existing law authorizes the department to establish the California State Park Adventure Pass to be available, upon application to the department, to any child in grade 4, or grade 4 equivalent, who is a California resident and enrolled in a California public school. Existing law authorizes the department to waive the day use entrance fees to an eligible unit of the state park system for any child who holds a valid pass, as provided.
The bill would declare, among other things, that it is the policy of the state to ensure equitable and inclusive access to the state park system by empowering the department to administer programs that broaden public access to the state parks. The bill would authorize the department to work with the California State Library and individual library systems to provide park passes.
DIGEST KEY
Vote: majority Appropriation: no Fiscal Committee: yes Local Program: no
BILL TEXT
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 5011.3 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:
5011.3. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) It is the policy of the state to ensure equitable and inclusive access to the state park system by empowering the department to administer programs that broaden public access to the state parks.
(2) The state park system provides a host of important values to the residents of California, including recreational, cultural, environmental, and public health benefits.
(3) The current fee structures to enter a unit of the state park system create financial barriers that limit access for many residents.
(4) It is imperative that the department support comprehensive access to the state parks for all residents of California.
(b) The department may work with the California State Library and individual library systems in order to provide park passes.