Section 1533.10 | Hunting licenses; fees; hunter education and conservation course.

• Effective: October 17, 2019
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 166 - 133rd General Assembly

(A) Except as provided in this section or division (A)(2) of section 1533.12 or section 1533.73 or 1533.731 of the Revised Code, no person shall hunt any wild bird or wild quadruped without a hunting license. Each day that any person hunts within the state without procuring such a license constitutes a separate offense.

(B)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, division (A) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code, or in rules adopted under division (B) of that section, each applicant for a hunting license shall pay an annual fee for each annual license in accordance with the following schedule:

Hunting license - resident	$18.00
Hunting license - nonresident that is not a resident of a reciprocal state, ages 18 and older	$174.00
Hunting license - nonresident that is a resident of a reciprocal state, ages 18 and older	$18.00
Apprentice hunting license - resident	$18.00
Apprentice hunting license - nonresident that is not a resident of a reciprocal state	$174.00
Apprentice hunting license - nonresident that is a resident of a reciprocal state	$18.00
Youth hunting license - resident and nonresident	$9.00
Apprentice youth hunting license - resident	$9.00
Senior hunting license - resident	$9.00
Apprentice senior hunting license - resident	$9.00

(2) Apprentice resident hunting licenses, apprentice youth hunting licenses, apprentice senior hunting licenses, and apprentice nonresident hunting licenses are subject to the requirements established under section 1533.102 of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it.

(3) As used in division (B)(1) of this section:

(a) "Youth" means an applicant who is under the age of eighteen years at the time of application for a license.

(b) "Senior" means an applicant who is sixty-six years of age or older at the time of application for a license.

(c) "Reciprocal state" means a state that is a party to an agreement under section 1533.91 of the Revised Code.

(C) A resident of this state who owns lands in the state and the owner's children of any age and grandchildren under eighteen years of age may hunt on the lands without a hunting license. A resident of any other state who owns real property in this state, and the spouse and children living with the property owner, may hunt on that property without a license, provided that the state of residence of the real property owner allows residents of this state owning real property in that state, and the spouse and children living with the property owner, to hunt without a license. If the owner of land in this state is a limited liability company or a limited liability partnership that consists of three or fewer individual members or partners, as applicable, an individual member or partner who is a resident of this state and the member's or partner's children of any age and grandchildren under eighteen years of age may hunt on the land owned by the limited liability company or limited liability partnership without a hunting license. In addition, if the owner of land in this state is a trust that has a total of three or fewer trustees and beneficiaries, an individual who is a trustee or beneficiary and who is a resident of this state and the individual's children of any age and grandchildren under eighteen years of age may hunt on the land owned by the trust without a hunting license. The tenant and children of the tenant, residing on lands in the state, may hunt on them without a hunting license.

(D) The chief of the division of wildlife may issue a small game hunting license expiring three days from the effective date of the license to a nonresident of the state, the fee for which is thirty-nine dollars. No person shall take or possess deer, wild turkeys, fur-bearing animals, ducks, geese, brant, or any nongame animal while possessing only a small game hunting license.

A small game hunting license or an apprentice nonresident hunting license does not authorize the taking or possessing of ducks, geese, or brant without having obtained, in addition to the small game hunting license or the apprentice nonresident hunting license, a wetlands habitat stamp as provided in section 1533.112 of the Revised Code. A small game hunting license or an apprentice nonresident hunting license does not authorize the taking or possessing of deer, wild turkeys, or fur-bearing animals. A nonresident of the state who wishes to take or possess deer, wild turkeys, or fur-bearing animals in this state shall procure, respectively, a deer or wild turkey permit as provided in section 1533.11 of the Revised Code or a fur taker permit as provided in section 1533.111 of the Revised Code in addition to a nonresident hunting license, an apprentice nonresident hunting license, a special youth hunting license, or an apprentice youth hunting license, as applicable, as provided in this section.

(E) No person shall procure or attempt to procure a hunting license by fraud, deceit, misrepresentation, or any false statement.

(F)(1) This section does not authorize the taking and possessing of deer or wild turkeys without first having obtained, in addition to the hunting license required by this section, a deer or wild turkey permit as provided in section 1533.11 of the Revised Code or the taking and possessing of ducks, geese, or brant without first having obtained, in addition to the hunting license required by this section, a wetlands habitat stamp as provided in section 1533.112 of the Revised Code.

(2) This section does not authorize the hunting or trapping of fur-bearing animals without first having obtained, in addition to a hunting license required by this section, a fur taker permit as provided in section 1533.111 of the Revised Code.

(G)(1) No hunting license shall be issued unless it is accompanied by a written explanation of the law in section 1533.17 of the Revised Code and the penalty for its violation, including a description of terms of imprisonment and fines that may be imposed.

(2) No hunting license, other than an apprentice hunting license, shall be issued unless the applicant presents to the agent authorized to issue the license a previously held hunting license or evidence of having held such a license in content and manner approved by the chief, a certificate of completion issued upon completion of a hunter education and conservation course approved by the chief, or evidence of equivalent training in content and manner approved by the chief. A previously held apprentice hunting license does not satisfy the requirement concerning the presentation of a previously held hunting license or evidence of it.

(3) No person shall issue a hunting license, except an apprentice hunting license, to any person who fails to present the evidence required by this section. No person shall purchase or obtain a hunting license, other than an apprentice hunting license, without presenting to the issuing agent the evidence required by this section. Issuance of a hunting license in violation of the requirements of this section is an offense by both the purchaser of the illegally obtained hunting license and the clerk or agent who issued the hunting license. Any hunting license issued in violation of this section is void.

(H) The chief, with approval of the wildlife council, shall adopt rules prescribing a hunter education and conservation course for first-time hunting license buyers, other than buyers of apprentice hunting licenses, and for volunteer instructors. The course shall consist of subjects including, but not limited to, hunter safety and health, use of hunting implements, hunting tradition and ethics, the hunter and conservation, the law in section 1533.17 of the Revised Code along with the penalty for its violation, including a description of terms of imprisonment and fines that may be imposed, and other law relating to hunting. Authorized personnel of the division or volunteer instructors approved by the chief shall conduct such courses with such frequency and at such locations throughout the state as to reasonably meet the needs of license applicants. The chief shall issue a certificate of completion to each person who successfully completes the course and passes an examination prescribed by the chief.

Available Versions of this Section

• March 27, 2013 – House Bill 420 - 129th General Assembly
• September 29, 2017 – House Bill 49 - 132nd General Assembly
• September 28, 2018 – Amended by Senate Bill 257 - 132nd General Assembly
• October 17, 2019 – Amended by House Bill 166 - 133rd General Assembly