HB 64: Revise age for discounted hunting, fishing licenses and permits
The proposed legislation aims to amend certain sections of the state's wildlife code to provide discounted hunting and fishing licenses to residents 65 and older. Currently, residents 66 and older are eligible for these discounts. The changes would allow residents 65 and older to qualify for the discounts, making it easier for older residents to participate in hunting and fishing activities. The legislation would not affect the eligibility criteria for younger residents or non-residents. The proposed changes would not alter the overall fees for hunting and fishing licenses, but rather provide a more inclusive discount for older residents.<br>The bill aims to regulate hunting licenses in the state. It introduces different types of licenses for various age groups and residency statuses. A "youth" is defined as an applicant under the age of 18, while a "senior" is defined as an applicant 6…
| Sep. 30, 2025 | Effective |
| Jul. 01, 2025 | Signed By The Governor |
| Jun. 24, 2025 | Sent To The Governor |
| Jun. 18, 2025 | Passed |
| Jun. 04, 2025 | Reported: Agriculture and Natural Resources |
ANACT
To amend sections $1533.10, 1533.11, 1533.111, 1533.32$, and 1533.321 of the Revised Code to allow Ohio residents who are 65 and up, instead of 66 and up, to qualify for discounted hunting and fishing licenses and permits.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio:
Section 1.
That sections 1533.10, 1533.11, 1533.111, 1533.32, and 1533.321 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:
Sec. 1533.10.
(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:
| A | Hunting license - resident | $18.00 |
|---|---|---|
| B | Hunting license - nonresident that is not a resident of a reciprocal state, ages 18 and older | |
| C | Hunting license - nonresident that is a resident of a reciprocal state, ages 18 and older | |
| D | Apprentice hunting license - resident | $18.00 |
| E | Apprentice hunting license - nonresident that is not a resident of a reciprocal state | $174.00 |
| F | Apprentice hunting license - nonresident that is a resident of a reciprocal state | |
| G | Youth hunting license - resident and nonresident | $9.00 |
| H | Apprentice youth hunting license - resident | $9.00 |
| I | Senior hunting license - resident | $9.00 |
| J | 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-sixty-five 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.
Sec. 1533.11.
(A)(1) Except as provided in this section or section 1533.731 of the Revised Code, no person shall hunt deer on lands of another without first obtaining an annual deer permit. Except as provided in this section, no person shall hunt wild turkeys on lands of another without first obtaining an annual wild turkey permit. A deer or wild turkey permit is valid during the hunting license year in which the permit is purchased. Except as provided in rules adopted under division (B) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code, each applicant for a deer or wild turkey permit shall pay an annual fee for each permit in accordance with the following schedule:
| A | Deer permit - resident | $30.00 |
|---|---|---|
| B | Deer permit - nonresident | $74.00 |
| C | Youth deer permit - resident and nonresident | $15.00 |
| D | Senior deer permit - resident | $11.00 |
| E | Wild turkey permit - resident | $30.00 |
| F | Wild turkey permit - nonresident | $37.00 |
| G | Youth wild turkey permit - resident and nonresident | $15.00 |
| H | Senior wild turkey permit - resident | $11.00 |
(2) As used in division (A)(1) of this section:
- (a) "Youth" means an applicant who is under the age of eighteen years at the time of application for a permit.
- (b) "Senior" means an applicant who is sixty-six-sixty-five years of age or older at the time of application for a permit.
Sec. 1533.111.
(A) Except as provided in this section or division (A)(2) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code, no person shall hunt or trap fur-bearing animals on land of another without first obtaining some type of an annual fur taker permit.
(B)(1) Except as otherwise provided in rules adopted under division (B) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code, each applicant for a fur taker permit or an apprentice fur taker permit shall pay an annual fee for each annual permit in accordance with the following schedule:
| A | Fur taker permit | $14.00 |
|---|---|---|
| B | Apprentice fur taker permit | $14.00 |
| C | Senior fur taker permit – resident only | $7.00 |
| D | Apprentice senior fur taker permit – resident only | $7.00 |
| E | Special youth fur taker permit | $7.00 |
| F | Apprentice youth fur taker permit | $7.00 |
(2) 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 permit.
- (b) "Senior" means an applicant who is sixty-six-sixty-five years of age or older at the time of application for a permit.
Sec. 1533.32.
(A) Except as provided in this section or division (A)(2) or (C) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code or as exempted at the discretion of the chief of the division of wildlife, no person, including nonresidents, shall take or catch any fish by angling in any of the waters in the state or engage in fishing in those waters without a license. No person shall take or catch frogs or turtles without a valid fishing license, except as provided in this section. Persons fishing in privately owned ponds, lakes, or reservoirs to or from which fish are not accustomed to migrate are exempt from the license requirements set forth in this section. Persons fishing in privately owned ponds, lakes, or reservoirs that are open to public fishing through an agreement or lease with the division of wildlife shall comply with the license requirements set forth in this section.
(B)(1) Except as otherwise provided in rules adopted under division (B) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code, each applicant for a fishing license shall pay a fee for each license in accordance with the following schedule:
| A | Annual fishing license - resident | $24.00 |
|---|---|---|
| B | Annual fishing license - nonresident that is not a resident of a reciprocal state | $49.00 |
| C | Annual fishing license - nonresident that is a resident of a reciprocal state | $24.00 |
| D | Annual senior fishing license - resident | $9.00 |
| E | Three-day tourist fishing license - nonresident that is not a resident of a reciprocal state | $24.00 |
| F | One-day fishing license | $13.00 |
(2) As used in division (B)(1) of this section:
- (a) "Reciprocal state" means a state that is a party to an agreement under section 1533.91 of the Revised Code.
- (b) "Senior" means an applicant who is sixty-six-sixty-five years of age or older at the time of application for a license.
Sec. 1533.321.
(A) The chief of the division of wildlife may issue any of the following:
- (1) Multi-year hunting or fishing licenses for three-, five-, or ten-year terms to a resident of this state;
- (2) Lifetime hunting or fishing licenses to a resident of this state;
- (3) A package consisting of any combination of license, stamp, or permit that the chief is authorized to issue under this chapter.
(B) The chief may adopt rules in accordance with section 1531.10 of the Revised Code governing multi-year hunting and fishing licenses, lifetime hunting and fishing licenses, and combination packages, including rules establishing fees for the combination packages. The chief shall ensure that the price for a combination package is not discounted by more than five per cent of the total fees for the licenses, permits, or stamps that a person would otherwise pay for those licenses, permits, or stamps if the person purchased them individually.
(C)(1) The multi-year and lifetime license fund is hereby created in the state treasury. The fund shall consist of money received from application fees for multi-year and lifetime hunting and fishing licenses.
(2) Each fiscal year, a prorated amount of the money from each multi-year and lifetime license fee shall be transferred from the multi-year and lifetime license fund to the fund into which the applicable single year license fee would otherwise be deposited. The prorated amount shall equal the total amount of the fee charged for the license divided by the number of years the license is valid. The chief shall adopt rules in accordance with section 1531.10 of the Revised Code for the administration of this division, including establishing a system that prorates lifetime license fees for deposit each year into the wildlife fund created in section 1531.17 of the Revised Code.
(3) Each fiscal year, all previous year's investment earnings from the multi-year and lifetime license fund shall be transferred into the wildlife fund created in section 1531.17 of the Revised Code.
(D)(1) Each applicant for a multi-year or lifetime fishing license who is a resident of this state shall pay a fee for each license in accordance with the following schedule:
| A | Senior 3-year fishing license | |
|---|---|---|
| B | Senior 5-year fishing license | |
| C | Senior lifetime fishing license | $81.00 |
| D | 3-year fishing license | $569.34 |
| E | 5-year fishing license | $115.56 |
| F | 10-year fishing license | $231.12 |
| G | Lifetime fishing license | $576.00 |
| H | Youth lifetime fishing license | $414.00 |
(2) As used in division (D)(1) of this section:
- (a) "Youth" means an applicant who is under the age of sixteen years at the time of application for a license.
- (b) "Senior" means an applicant who is sixty-six-sixty-five years of age or older at the time of application for a license.
(E)(1) Each applicant for a multi-year or lifetime hunting license who is a resident of this state shall pay a fee for each license in accordance with the following schedule:
| A | Senior 3-year hunting license | $26.00 |
|---|---|---|
| B | Senior 5-year hunting license | $43.34 |
| C | Senior lifetime hunting license | $81.00 |
| D | Youth 3-year hunting license | $26.00 |
| E | Youth 5-year hunting license | $43.34 |
| F | Youth 10-year hunting license | $86.67 |
| G | Youth lifetime hunting license | $414.00 |
| H | 3-year hunting license | $52.00 |
| I | 5-year hunting license | $86.75 |
| J | 10-year hunting license | $173.34 |
| K | Lifetime hunting license | $432.00 |
(2) As used in division (E)(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-sixty-five years of age or older at the time of application for a license.
(F) If a person who is issued a multi-year hunting or fishing license or lifetime hunting or fishing license in accordance with division (A) of this section subsequently becomes a nonresident after issuance of the license, the person's license remains valid in this state during its term, regardless of residency status.
Section 2.
That existing sections 1533.10, 1533.11, 1533.111, 1533.32, and 1533.321 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.
| Speaker of the House of Representatives. | |
| President of the Senate. | |
| Passed, 20 | |
| Approved, 20 | |
| Governor. |
The section numbering of law of a general and permanent nature is complete and in conformity with the Revised Code.
Director, Legislative Service Commission.
Filed in the office of the Secretary of State at Columbus, Ohio, on the _____ day of _____, A. D. 20 _____.
Secretary of State.
File No. _____ Effective Date _____