MESA Terms of Service
United MESA Foundation ("MESA," "the Camp," "we," "us")
Effective date: July 31, 2026
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of www.mesacamp.us and any related MESA member platform, application, or payment page (together, the "Site"), and your participation in MESA, a Burning Man theme camp operated by United MESA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 93-1712982) located at 22 Amicita Avenue, Mill Valley, California 94941.
By accessing or using the Site, you agree to these Terms. By paying camp dues, cost-shares, or any other amount to MESA, you additionally and expressly agree to these Terms of Service, which exist to protect the Camp, and you confirm that you have read and accepted them. If you do not agree, do not use the Site and do not submit payment.
1. Who We Are
MESA is a member-funded Burning Man theme camp, founded in 2018, that builds and operates a camp at Black Rock City, Nevada each year. MESA is operated by United MESA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. MESA is not a retailer, tour operator, ticket seller, or hospitality business. Everything MESA does is funded by member dues, member cost-shares, and donations, and is delivered through the shared labor of its members.
2. Agreement, and Who These Terms Protect
These Terms are a binding agreement between you and United MESA Foundation. They exist explicitly to protect the Camp — meaning United MESA Foundation and its directors, officers, camp leads, organizers, volunteers, members, agents, and benefactors (together, the "Camp Protected Parties") — from claims arising out of Site use, payments, and camp participation, including unfounded claims of fraud or unauthorized payment.
You accept these Terms by any of the following: (a) using the Site; (b) submitting a camp application; (c) creating or using a member account; or (d) making any payment to MESA, including dues, utility cost-shares, or donations. Each payment you make is a reaffirmation of your acceptance.
3. Membership and Dues
3.1 What dues are. Camp dues are a member's contribution to the shared infrastructure and operations of the camp — including shade, power, water, kitchen and meals, showers, sanitation, storage, transportation of camp equipment, insurance, art, and programming. Dues are pooled and spent on the camp as a whole, almost entirely before and during the event.
3.2 What dues are not. Dues are not a purchase of goods or services, a ticket, a reservation, or a consumer transaction entitling you to a specific deliverable. Paying dues does not create a merchant-customer relationship. MESA operates on Burning Man's principles of participation, communal effort, gifting, and decommodification: dues cover infrastructure; participation covers the rest.
3.3 What dues do not include. Dues do not include Burning Man event tickets, vehicle passes, transportation to or from the event, or personal gear. Those are your responsibility.
3.4 Membership is discretionary. Camp membership, placement, and continued participation are at the Camp's discretion. Acceptance of an application, or payment of dues, does not guarantee any particular placement, amenity, or accommodation, which depend on event conditions, placement decisions by Burning Man, vendor performance, weather, and the collective effort of members.
3.5 Participation expectations. Members are expected to complete assigned shifts, contribute to build and strike, follow Leave No Trace practices, and uphold the camp code of conduct (Section 11).
4. Payments and Authorization
4.1 Accurate payment. When you pay through the Site or a payment link we provide, you represent that you are authorized to use the payment method, that the billing information you provide is accurate, and that the payment is made knowingly and voluntarily for MESA dues, cost-shares, or donations.
4.2 Payment processors. Payments are processed by third-party payment processors (such as Stripe and related platforms). MESA does not store your full card number. Your use of a processor is also subject to that processor's terms and privacy policy.
4.3 Records. MESA maintains records of payments, including payer identity, amount, date, payment method, campaign (e.g., dues, power/pump cost-share, donation), and related correspondence. You agree that MESA may rely on and produce these records — together with these Terms — to payment processors, card networks, banks, and other institutions to demonstrate that a payment was authorized and what it funded.
4.4 Installments and deadlines. Where dues are payable in installments or by a deadline, timely payment is a condition of membership. Late or incomplete payment may result in loss of placement or membership at the Camp's discretion.
5. Refund Policy
Dues, cost-shares, and donations are non-refundable once paid, because they are committed to vendors, deposits, equipment, and event obligations on a rolling basis well before the event. This is fundamental to how a member-funded camp works: the money becomes the camp.
The sole exceptions are: (a) a refund expressly approved by MESA through the Dispute Resolution Process in Section 6, which MESA may grant in its sole discretion; and (b) any refund required by applicable law. If the Camp's costs come in under budget, MESA may — at its discretion — carry balances forward, apply them to future seasons, or apply them to camp reserves and art; no automatic refund arises from surplus.
6. Dispute Resolution Process (Agreed First Remedy)
If you believe a payment to MESA was made in error, was not authorized, or should be refunded in whole or part, or you have any other dispute relating to payments, dues, membership, or these Terms, you agree to use the following process before pursuing any other remedy, including any chargeback, card-network dispute, or legal claim. By using the Site or paying dues, you agree that this process is your agreed first remedy.
Step 1 — Submit your dispute. Email info@mesacamp.us with your name, the payment date and amount, the payment method used, and a description of the issue and the outcome you are seeking.
Step 2 — MESA response (5 business days). MESA will review and respond to your dispute within five (5) business days of receipt. "Business days" are Monday through Friday, excluding U.S. federal holidays, measured in Pacific Time.
Step 3 — Renewed dispute or Secondary Review. If you are not satisfied with MESA's response, you may either:
- (a) Dispute again — submit a renewed dispute to info@mesacamp.us with any additional information, which MESA will answer within five (5) business days; or
- (b) Request Secondary Review — a review of your dispute by camp leadership not involved in the initial determination. MESA will respond to a Secondary Review request within three (3) business days.
Step 4 — Final determination. The Secondary Review determination is MESA's final decision within this internal process. If your dispute is upheld, MESA will implement the approved resolution (which may include a full or partial refund) promptly.
Nothing in this Section waives rights you cannot waive under applicable law; it establishes the order and manner in which disputes are first raised and resolved.
7. Chargebacks and Claims of Fraud
7.1 No chargebacks before the process completes. You agree not to initiate a chargeback, payment reversal, or card-network dispute for any payment to MESA without first completing the Dispute Resolution Process in Section 6.
7.2 Authorized payments are not fraud. You agree that a payment you (or an authorized user of your payment method) knowingly made for dues, cost-shares, or donations is an authorized payment. Filing or threatening a fraud or "unauthorized transaction" claim for a payment you authorized is a material breach of these Terms.
7.3 Camp response to chargebacks. For any chargeback or fraud claim asserted contrary to this Section, you agree that MESA may submit these Terms, your acceptance of them, and its payment and correspondence records as evidence that the transaction was authorized, and may contest the claim fully.
7.4 Costs and consequences. If a chargeback brought in breach of this Section is resolved in MESA's favor, or is withdrawn, you agree to reimburse MESA for the disputed amount to the extent recovered from camp funds and for processor chargeback fees incurred. Breach of this Section may also result in suspension or termination of membership and ineligibility for future seasons, at the Camp's discretion.
7.5 Good faith. MESA commits to operating the dispute process in good faith and on the stated timelines; members commit to raising payment concerns honestly and through the process.
8. Donations
Donations (including donations supporting camp art such as the Garden of Dreamin') are voluntary gifts to United MESA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and are non-refundable. Donations may be tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law; consult your tax advisor. Tax receipts are provided where applicable.
9. Event Participation, Assumption of Risk, and Release
9.1 Inherent risk. Burning Man takes place in a remote desert environment with extreme conditions. Participation in the event and in camp life — including build, strike, art cars, structures, kitchens, and camp activities — involves inherent risks, including serious injury, illness, property damage, and death. You participate voluntarily and at your own risk.
9.2 Release. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you release and hold harmless the Camp Protected Parties from and against claims, damages, and liabilities arising out of or related to your participation in the event or camp activities, your use of camp infrastructure or vehicles, or the acts or omissions of other members, except to the extent caused by a Camp Protected Party's gross negligence or willful misconduct.
9.3 On-site waiver. MESA may additionally require members to sign a separate liability waiver and media release as a condition of camping. Burning Man's own ticket terms and event policies apply independently and are not controlled by MESA.
9.4 Personal property. MESA is not responsible for loss, theft, or damage to personal property brought to the event or stored with camp infrastructure or shipping containers.
10. Event Changes and Cancellation
If the Burning Man event, MESA's placement, or camp operations are canceled, curtailed, delayed, or altered for any reason beyond the Camp's reasonable control — including weather, government or Bureau of Land Management action, Burning Man organizational decisions, vendor failure, epidemics, or force majeure — MESA's obligations are limited to what remains reasonably possible. Because dues are spent ahead of the event, cancellation does not entitle members to refunds; MESA may, at its discretion, carry forward funds or offer partial refunds from any unspent balance.
11. Code of Conduct
Members and Site users agree to: treat others with respect; follow camp safety rules and shift commitments; comply with Burning Man's ten principles, event rules, and applicable law; respect consent in all interactions; and Leave No Trace. MESA may remove any person from the camp, or terminate membership, for conduct that endangers others, violates this Section, or materially disrupts the camp — without refund of dues.
12. Photos and Media
Camp life is documented. By participating in MESA, you consent to the Camp's reasonable use of photographs and video that include you, taken at camp or camp events, for camp albums, recruitment, and social media (e.g., @mesa.camp). If you want a specific image removed, email info@mesacamp.us and we will act in good faith to remove it from camp-controlled channels. Do not publish photos of other members in private camp settings without their consent.
13. Site Accounts and Acceptable Use
You agree to provide accurate information on applications and accounts, keep credentials confidential, and be responsible for activity under your account. You will not: misuse, probe, or disrupt the Site; access another member's data; scrape or harvest member information; upload malicious code; or use the Site for unlawful purposes. MESA may suspend accounts that violate these Terms.
14. Intellectual Property
The Site and its content — including text, photography, video, the MESA name and marks, and camp artwork — belong to United MESA Foundation or its licensors. You may not use MESA's name, logo, or content commercially without written permission. By submitting content to the Site (such as application materials or photos), you grant MESA a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use it for camp operations, placement, and camp communications.
15. Third-Party Services
The Site links to or relies on third-party services (payment processors, social platforms, form and hosting providers, Burning Man systems). MESA is not responsible for third-party services, and your use of them is governed by their own terms.
16. Disclaimers
The Site and all camp programs are provided "as is" and "as available." To the fullest extent permitted by law, MESA disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. MESA does not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that any particular camp amenity will be available in any particular form.
17. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law: (a) the Camp Protected Parties will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, data, or goodwill; and (b) the total aggregate liability of the Camp Protected Parties for all claims relating to the Site, membership, or these Terms will not exceed the amount of dues you paid to MESA for the season in which the claim arose. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations; in those jurisdictions, these limits apply to the maximum extent permitted.
18. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Camp Protected Parties from claims, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Site, your violation of law or third-party rights, or any chargeback or fraud claim you assert in breach of Section 7.
19. Governing Law and Venue
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Subject to Section 6 (which you agree to complete first), any action relating to these Terms must be brought in the state or federal courts located in Marin County, California, and you consent to their jurisdiction. Nothing in these Terms limits either party's right to seek relief in small claims court after completing the Dispute Resolution Process.
20. Changes to These Terms
MESA may update these Terms from time to time. The "Effective date" above reflects the latest revision. Material changes will be posted on the Site, and continued use of the Site or payment of dues after changes take effect constitutes acceptance. The version in effect at the time of a payment governs that payment.
21. General
If any provision of these Terms is held unenforceable, the remainder stays in effect, and the provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permissible. MESA's failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. These Terms, together with any signed camp waiver and posted camp policies, are the entire agreement between you and MESA regarding the Site and camp membership, and supersede prior understandings on the same subject. You may not assign these Terms; MESA may assign them to a successor nonprofit operator of the camp.
22. Contact
United MESA Foundation
22 Amicita Avenue, Mill Valley, California 94941
info@mesacamp.us · www.mesacamp.us
*Questions and disputes: email info@mesacamp.us (see Section 6 for the dispute process and response timelines).*