Chapter 1533 | Hunting; Fishing

Section 1533.01 | Hunting - fishing definitions.

• Effective: September 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly

As used in this chapter, "person," "resident," "nonresident," "division rule," "rule," "closed season," "open season," "take or taking," "possession," "bag limit," "transport and transportation," "sell and sale," "whole to include part," "angling," "trotline," "fish," "measurement of fish," "wild birds," "game," "game birds," "nongame birds," "wild quadrupeds," "game quadrupeds," "fur-bearing animals," "wild animals," "hunting," "trapping," "muskrat spear," "channels and passages," "island," "reef," "fur farm," "waters," "crib," "car," "commercial fish," "fishing," "fillet," "part fillet," "round," "migrate," "spreader bar," "fishing guide," "net," "commercial fishing gear," "native wildlife," "gill net," "tag fishing tournament," "tenant," "nonnative wildlife," "reptiles," "amphibians," "deer," "domestic deer," "migratory game bird," "accompany," "all-purpose vehicle," "wholly enclosed preserve," "commercial bird shooting preserve," "wild animal hunting preserve," and "captive white-tailed deer" have the same meanings as in section 1531.01 of the Revised Code.

Last updated August 12, 2021 at 10:51 AM

Section 1533.02 | Fishing and trapping districts - restrictions on taking, possession, and selling.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

Fish in the inland and Lake Erie fishing districts, game birds and game quadrupeds throughout the state, and fur-bearing animals in the inland and Lake Erie trapping districts may be taken and possessed only in open season, in compliance with this section or a division rule, stipulating the length of fish and the number of fish, game birds, game quadrupeds, and fur-bearing animals that may be taken.

The waters of Lake Erie and the waters, lands, and marshes included in Lucas, Ottawa, Sandusky, Erie, Lorain, Cuyahoga, Lake, and Ashtabula counties constitute the "Lake Erie trapping district," and all other waters, lands, and marshes within the state constitute the "inland trapping district."

The waters of Lake Erie; the waters of Sandusky bay as far west as a continuation due south to the Sandusky county shore of the section line between sections 23 and 24 in Bay township, Ottawa county, and as far east as a continuation due north of the township line between Perkins and Huron townships, Erie county, indicated by markers which shall be permanently erected on each shore; and the waters of Maumee bay as far south as a line which shall be a continuation due eastward of the section line between sections 16 and 21 in Washington township, Lucas county, indicated by markers which shall be permanently erected on each shore, constitute the "Lake Erie fishing district." All other waters over which the state has jurisdiction, whether lakes, rivers, creeks, or reservoirs or whether natural or artificial, including East Harbor, West Harbor, and Middle Harbor in Ottawa county, and the waters of Ten Mile creek lying within this state constitute the "inland fishing district."

(A) All species or kinds of fish may be taken and possessed only according to the following schedule or as otherwise provided in this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or by division rule.

		Open Season		Minimum Legal Lengths in Inches		Daily Bag Limits
	Name of Fish	Inland	Lake Erie
1	Muskellunge	No closed season	No closed season	30	None	2	None
2	Yellow Pike-perch	No closed season	No closed season	13	None	6	None
3	Bluegill	No closed season	No closed season	5	5	20	20
4	Rock Bass	No closed season	No closed season	5	5	20	20
5	Yellow Perch	No closed season	No closed season	None	None	20	None
6	White Bass	No closed season	No closed season	None	None	20	None
7	Trout	Apr.15-Sept.15	Apr. 15-Sept.15	7	7	6	6
8	Black Bass	June 16-Apr.30	July 1-May 24	10	10	6	6
9	Crappie	No closed season	No closed season			20	20
10	Sunfish	No closed season	No closed season	None	None	20	20
11	Catfish	No closed season	No closed season	None	None	20	None

Division (A)(7) of this section includes brooktrout, rainbow trout, and brown trout.

Division (A)(8) of this section includes largemouth black bass, smallmouth black bass, and spotted black bass.

Division (A)(9) of this section includes white crappies and black crappies.

Division (A)(10) of this section includes pumpkinseed sunfish, long-eared sunfish, and green sunfish.

Division (A)(11) of this section includes channel catfish and shovel head catfish and yellow bullhead, brown bullhead, and black bullhead.

The total daily bag limit throughout the state for the combined species mentioned in division (A) of this section shall not exceed twenty-five, and not more than two days' legal catch of any one species, nor more than fifty of all species shall be in possession at any one time, except fish allowed to be taken by commercial fishermen in the Lake Erie fishing district.

(B) All species of game birds and game quadrupeds throughout the state may be taken and possessed only according to the following schedule or as otherwise provided in this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code, or by division rule.

Name	Open Season	Bag Limit	Possession Limit
Pheasant (Cockbirdsonly)	Nov. 15 - Nov. 30	2	4
Ruffed Grouse	Nov. 15 - Nov. 30	2	4
Hungarian Partridge	Nov. 15 - Nov. 30	4	4
Sharp-tail Grouse	No open season
PinnatedGrouse	No open season
Woodcock	Oct. 10 - Oct. 24	4	8
Wilson's or Jack Snipe	Oct. 16 - Dec. 14	15	15
Rail and Gallinule	Sept. 1 - Nov. 30	15	15
Black-breasted Plover	No open season
Golden Plover	No open season
Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs	No open season
Coot	Oct. 16 - Dec. 14	25	25
Duck	Oct. 16 - Dec. 14	10	20
Geese and Brant	Oct. 16 - Dec. 14	3	6
Hare or Rabbit	Nov. 15 - Jan. 1	4	4
Gray, Black, and Fox Squirrel	Sept. 25 - Oct. 10	4	8
Red or Pine Squirrel	No closed season
Ground Hog or Woodchuck	No closed season
Deer	No open season
Bear	No open season

(C) All species of fur-bearing animals may be taken and possessed only according to the following schedule, or as otherwise provided in this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or by division rule.

Name	Inland Trapping District Open Season	Lake Erie Trapping District Open Season
Mink	Dec. 1 - Jan. 15	Dec. 15 - Mar. 15
Weasel	No closed season	No closed season
Raccoon	Nov. 15 - Jan. 15	Nov. 15 - Jan. 15
Skunk	Nov. 15 - Jan. 15	Nov. 15 - Jan. 15
Opossum	Nov. 15 - Jan. 15	Nov. 15 - Jan. 15
Muskrat	Dec. 1 - Jan. 15	Dec. 15 - Mar. 15
Beaver	No open season	No open season
Fox	Nov. 15 - Mar. 1	Nov. 15 - Mar. 1

The season provided for the taking of fox does not prohibit the chasing of a fox by dog or on horseback when the chasing does not result in the killing of the fox.

This section does not prevent the owner or operator of a farm or enclosure used to breed and raise raccoon, skunk, mink, muskrat, or opossum from taking or possessing at any time such fur-bearing animals although the farm or enclosure, in addition to that use, also is used during the open season for hunting other game.

No person within the state shall buy, sell, expose for sale, offer for sale, or have in possession for any such purpose any of the fish, or any part thereof, mentioned in this section, whether taken within or without the state, except such fish as are protected by law and taken by licensed commercial fishermen in the Lake Erie fishing district and in other waters wherein fishing with nets is licensed by law. This section does not prohibit the sale of fish taken by angling in the Lake Erie fishing district that are of a length provided by law and permitted to be taken and sold by licensed commercial fisherman . No person within the state shall buy, sell, expose for sale, offer for sale, or have in possession for any such purpose any game bird or game quadruped, or any part thereof, whether taken within or without the state. Each such fish, game bird, or game quadruped, or part thereof, bought, sold, exposed for sale, offered for sale, or had in possession for any such purposes contrary to this section or division rule constitutes a separate offense.

No person shall take a hare or rabbit, within the state, through the use of a ferret, or place a ferret in any hole or opening in the ground, a stone wall, a log, or elsewhere outside a building, in which a hare or rabbit might be confined, or have a ferret in possession or under control while hunting, going hunting, or returning from hunting. Each hare or rabbit caught, killed, or had in possession contrary to this section constitutes a separate offense. This section does not prevent the owner of a young fruit orchard or nursery or his tenant or bona fide employee from possessing a ferret or using a ferret in any manner to take or kill rabbits or hares when they are doing actual and substantial damage to his fruit trees or nursery stock.

The possession of the hide, skin, or pelt of a wild bird or wild quadruped during the closed seasons is prima-facie evidence that it was illegally taken unless the possessor can show an original invoice signed by a shipper that the hide, skin, or pelt was shipped from without the state or furnish satisfactory proof that it was legally taken or acquired.

(D) No person shall take a wild bird or wild quadruped from its nest, house, den, or burrow, or destroy such a nest, house, den, or burrow, or with a spear hunt, pursue, injure, or kill any wild bird or wild quadruped except as otherwise provided in this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or by division rule. Each wild bird or wild quadruped or each hide, skin, or pelt of any such wild bird or wild quadruped, or part thereof, taken or had in possession contrary to this section constitutes a separate offense.

Last updated May 24, 2022 at 5:11 PM

Section 1533.03 | Prevention of authorized hunting, trapping, or fishing prohibited.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

(A) No person shall purposely prevent or attempt to prevent any person from hunting, trapping, or fishing for a wild animal as authorized by this chapter by any of the following means:

(1) Placing oneself in a location in which he knows or should know that his presence may affect the behavior of the wild animal being hunted, trapped, or fished for or otherwise affect the feasibility of the taking of the wild animal by the hunter, trapper, or fisherman;

(2) Creating a visual, aural, olfactory, or physical stimulus intended to affect the behavior of the wild animal being hunted, trapped, or fished for;

(3) Affecting the condition or location of personal property intended for use in the hunting, trapping, or fishing activity.

(B) No person shall fail to obey the order of a peace officer or wildlife officer to desist from conduct that violates division (A) of this section.

(C) This section applies only to acts committed on lands or waters upon which hunting, trapping, or fishing activity may lawfully occur. This section does not apply to acts of a peace officer, the owner of the lands or waters, or a tenant or other person acting under authority of the owner on the lands or waters.

(D) Upon petition by a person who is or reasonably may be affected by conduct that violates or will violate division (A) of this section and a showing by that person that the conduct has occurred in a particular place and may reasonably be expected to occur in or near that place again, a court of common pleas may enjoin the conduct in accordance with Civil Rule 65.

(E) As used in this section, "peace officer" has the same meaning as in section 2935.01 of the Revised Code, and "wildlife officer" has the same meaning as in section 1531.13 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.031 | Prevention of hunting by creating noise prohibited.

• Effective: November 21, 1997
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 209 - 122nd General Assembly

(A) No person shall purposely prevent or attempt to prevent any person from hunting a wild animal as authorized by this chapter by creating noise or loud sounds through the use of implements when the use of the implements is intended primarily to affect the behavior of the wild animal being hunted, when the hunting is taking place on lands or waters upon which the hunting activity may lawfully occur, and when the noise or loud sounds are created on lands or waters other than the lands or waters upon which the hunting activity may lawfully occur. "Implements" does not include items being used in the due course of farming, forestry, or commercial practices.

(B) Upon petition by a person who is or reasonably may be affected by conduct that violates or will violate division (A) of this section and a showing by that person that the conduct has occurred in a particular place and may reasonably be expected to occur in or near that place again, a court of common pleas may enjoin the conduct in accordance with Civil Rule 65.

Section 1533.04 | Use of suppressor.

• Effective: March 23, 2015
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 234 - 130th General Assembly

(A) A person who holds a valid hunting license issued under this chapter and who hunts game birds or wild quadrupeds may use a suppressor attached to a gun that is authorized to be used for hunting by section 1533.16 of the Revised Code while hunting, provided that the person is authorized to possess the suppressor under state and federal laws and has registered the suppressor in accordance with the "National Firearms Act," 68A Stat. 725 (1934), 26 U.S.C. 5841, et seq., as amended.

(B) As used in this section, "suppressor" means any device used for diminishing the sound of any shot, bullet, or projectile that is discharged from a gun that is authorized to be used for hunting by section 1533.16 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.05 | Raptors for use in sport of falconry.

• Effective: August 10, 2021
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 28 - 134th General Assembly

(A) As used in this section and section 1533.051 of the Revised Code, "raptor" means a live migratory bird of the family Falconidae, of the family Strigidae, or of the family Accipitridae other than a bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus).

(B) The chief of the division of wildlife may authorize the taking, possession, and transportation of raptors for use in the sport of falconry by rules adopted pursuant to section 1531.08 of the Revised Code. The rules shall be consistent with federal regulations governing raptors and may authorize the taking of game by the use of raptors, including taking with a trained raptor and a dog.

The chief, by rules adopted pursuant to section 1531.08 of the Revised Code, may do all of the following:

(1) Notwithstanding any other rule governing the taking of quail, authorize a person engaged in the sport of falconry to permit the person's raptor to take quail;

(2) Authorize special falconry seasons;

(3) Authorize a person engaged in the sport of falconry to possess and to permit the person's raptor to take European starlings, English sparrows, and common pigeons, other than homing pigeons, at any time.

(C) No person shall take, possess, or transport a raptor for use in the sport of falconry or shall practice falconry without a permit to do so issued by the chief. The duration of the permit shall be consistent with applicable federal requirements. The chief may require a separate permit for the taking of raptors.

The fees for permits shall be set by the chief in amounts sufficient to cover the expenses of the division of wildlife in exercising its authority under this section and may vary according to class and type of permit. Moneys received from the sale of permits shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the fund established in section 1533.15 of the Revised Code.

An applicant for a permit shall present a valid hunting license issued to the applicant for the current license year under section 1533.13 of the Revised Code and shall maintain a valid and current hunting license thereafter while taking or attempting to take game or raptors to be used for falconry purposes. A permit issued under this section is not transferable. No person shall carry a permit issued in the name of another person.

(D) Every person, while engaged in falconry on the lands of another, shall carry the permit issued to the person under this section together with a valid hunting license issued to the person for the current license year under section 1533.13 of the Revised Code and shall exhibit the permit and license to any law enforcement officer requesting to see them.

(E) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, of any rule adopted by the chief governing falconry, or of any federal regulation governing raptors, no person shall take or disturb for the purpose of falconry the nest of a wild raptor or any young raptor in the wild that is not yet capable of flight except in such situations, and under the direct supervision of a wildlife officer, where the nest otherwise would be destroyed or the raptor would not survive.

Last updated May 17, 2021 at 11:40 AM

Section 1533.051 | Commercial and noncommercial propagation of raptors.

• Effective: December 29, 2023
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 131 - 134th General Assembly

(A) The chief of the division of wildlife may authorize commercial and noncommercial propagation of raptors by rules adopted pursuant to section 1531.08 of the Revised Code. The rules shall be consistent with federal regulations governing raptor propagation.

(B) No person shall propagate raptors without a permit to do so issued by the chief. The duration of the permit shall be consistent with applicable federal requirements.

The fees for permits shall be set by the chief in amounts sufficient to cover the expenses of the division in exercising its authority under this section and may vary according to the type of permit. Moneys received from the sale of permits shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the fund established in section 1533.15 of the Revised Code.

(C) The chief shall issue a commercial raptor propagation permit in accordance with Chapter 4796. of the Revised Code to an applicant if either of the following applies:

(1) The applicant holds a license or permit in another state.

(2) The applicant has satisfactory work experience, a government certification, or a private certification as described in that chapter as a person who propogates raptors in a state that does not issue that license or permit.

(D) A permittee may use a raptor possessed for propagation in the sport of falconry only if the permittee is in compliance with section 1533.05 of the Revised Code and the raptor is reported under permits issued under both that section and this section.

(E) This section does not apply to propagation of raptors by the state, any agency of the state, the United States, any agency or instrumentality thereof, or any zoological park.

Last updated December 29, 2023 at 7:22 AM

Section 1533.07 | Protection afforded nongame birds.

• Effective: April 6, 2007
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 443 - 126th General Assembly

No person shall catch, kill, injure, pursue, or have in the person's possession, either dead or alive, or purchase, expose for sale, transport, or ship to a point within or without the state, or receive or deliver for transportation any bird other than a game bird, or have in the person's possession any part of the plumage, skin, or body of any bird other than a game bird, except as permitted in Chapter 1531. and this chapter of the Revised Code, or disturb or destroy the eggs, nest, or young of such a bird.

This section does not prohibit the lawful taking, killing, pursuing, or possession of any game bird during the open season for the bird. Bald or golden eagles and ospreys shall not be killed or possessed at any time, except that eagles or ospreys may be possessed for educational purposes by governmental or municipal zoological parks, museums, and scientific or educational institutions. European starlings, English sparrows, and common pigeons, other than homing pigeons, may be killed at any time and their nests or eggs may be destroyed at any time. Blackbirds may be killed at any time when doing damage to grain or other property or when they become a nuisance.

Each bird or any part thereof taken or had in possession contrary to this section constitutes a separate offense.

Section 1533.08 | Scientific, educational or rehabilitation collection permits.

• Effective: April 6, 2007
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 443 - 126th General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, any person desiring to collect or possess wild animals that are protected by law or their nests or eggs for scientific study, school instruction, other educational uses, or rehabilitation shall make an annual application to the chief of the division of wildlife for a wild animal permit on a form furnished by the chief. Each applicant for a wild animal permit, other than an applicant desiring to rehabilitate wild animals, shall pay an annual fee of twenty-five dollars for each permit. No fee shall be charged to an applicant desiring to rehabilitate wild animals. The chief may issue to the applicant a permit to take, possess, and transport at any time and in a manner that is acceptable to the chief specimens of wild animals protected by law or their nests and eggs for scientific study, school instruction, other educational uses, or rehabilitation and under any additional rules recommended by the wildlife council. Upon the receipt of a permit, the holder may take, possess, and transport those wild animals in accordance with the permit.

Each holder of a permit engaged in collecting or who possesses such wild animals shall carry the permit at all times and shall exhibit it upon demand to any peace officer, as defined in section 2935.01 of the Revised Code, or to the owner or person in lawful control of the land upon which the permit holder is collecting or possesses the wild animals. Failure to so carry or exhibit the permit constitutes an offense under this section.

Each permit holder shall keep a daily record of all specimens collected or possessed under the permit and the disposition of the specimens and shall exhibit the daily record to any official of the division upon demand.

Each permit shall remain in effect for one year from the date of issuance unless it is revoked sooner by the chief.

All moneys received as fees for the issuance of a wild animal collecting permit shall be transmitted to the director of natural resources to be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the fund created by section 1533.15 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.081 | Permit for taking of wild animal.

• Effective: September 10, 2012
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 487 - 129th General Assembly

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Energy" has the same meaning as in section 1551.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Energy facility" means a facility at which energy is produced.

(B) A person operating an energy facility whose operation may result in the incidental taking of a wild animal shall obtain a permit to do so from the chief of the division of wildlife under this section. The chief shall adopt rules under section 1531.10 of the Revised Code that are necessary to administer this section.

Section 1533.09 | Annual report of operations under collection permit - revocation and forfeiture of permit.

• Effective: April 6, 2007
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 443 - 126th General Assembly

Before the fifteenth day of March of each year, each wild animal permit holder shall file with the division of wildlife a written report of the permit holder's operations under the permit and the disposition of the specimens collected or possessed during the preceding calendar year on report blanks furnished by the chief of the division. Failure to file a report shall cause the permit to be forfeited as of the fifteenth day of March. Permits are not transferable. No permit holder or person collecting or possessing wild animals under authority of such a permit shall take, possess, or transport the wild animals for any purpose not specified in the permit.

Conviction of a violation of this section, failure to carry a permit and exhibit it to any person requesting to see it as provided in section 1533.08 of the Revised Code, or the violation of any other law concerning wild animals constitutes a revocation and forfeiture of the permit involved. The former permit holder shall not be entitled to another permit for a period of one year from the date of the conviction.

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.

Section 1533.101 | Reissued license, stamp or permit.

• Effective: September 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly

Any person who has a current hunting or fishing license, a wetlands habitat stamp, a deer or wild turkey permit, or a fur taker permit pursuant to this chapter and has lost or destroyed the license, stamp, or permit, or had the license, stamp, or permit stolen, may be reissued such license, stamp, or permit. The person shall file with the clerk of the court of common pleas an application in affidavit form or, if the chief of the division of wildlife authorizes it, apply for a reissued license, stamp, or permit to an authorized agent designated by the chief, and pay a fee for each license, stamp, or permit of four dollars. The clerk or agent shall administer the oath to the applicant, issue a reissued license, stamp, or permit that shall allow the applicant to hunt, fish, or trap, as applicable, and send a copy of the reissued license, stamp, or permit to the division of wildlife.

All moneys received as fees for the issuance of reissued licenses, stamps, or permits shall be transmitted to the director of natural resources to be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the funds to which the fees for the original licenses, stamps, and permits were credited.

No person shall knowingly or willfully secure, attempt to secure, or use a reissued hunting or fishing license, wetlands habitat stamp, deer or wild turkey permit, or fur taker permit to which the person is not entitled. No person shall knowingly or willfully issue a reissued hunting or fishing license, wetlands habitat stamp, deer or wild turkey permit, or fur taker permit under this section to any person who is not entitled to receive and use such a reissued license, stamp, or permit.

Last updated August 12, 2021 at 10:51 AM

Section 1533.102 | Apprentice hunting licenses and fur taker permits.

• Effective: September 28, 2018
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 257 - 132nd General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife may adopt rules under section 1531.10 of the Revised Code that the chief considers to be necessary to administer the issuance of apprentice hunting licenses and apprentice fur taker permits under sections 1533.10 and 1533.111 of the Revised Code, respectively, and their use, except that the rules shall not establish fee amounts for those licenses and permits that differ from the fee amounts established in those sections, as applicable.

Unless otherwise provided by division rule, an apprentice license or permit is valid beginning on the first day of March and ending at midnight on the last day of February of the following year.

Any type of apprentice hunting license authorizes the holder of such a license to hunt only while accompanied by another person who is twenty-one years of age or older and who possesses a valid hunting license. Any type of apprentice fur taker permit authorizes the holder of such a permit to hunt or trap fur-bearing animals only while accompanied by another person who is twenty-one years of age or older and who possesses a valid fur taker permit. No holder of a valid hunting license or fur taker permit shall accompany more than two holders of any type of apprentice hunting license or apprentice fur taker permit at one time.

Section 1533.103 | All purpose vehicles permits for mobility-impaired persons.

• Effective: September 28, 2018
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 257 - 132nd General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife shall adopt rules under section 1531.10 of the Revised Code that are necessary to administer the issuance of permits for the use of all-purpose vehicles or motor vehicles by persons with mobility impairments to hunt wild quadrupeds or game birds in public and private areas. The rules shall establish eligibility requirements, an application procedure, the duration of a permit, identification and designation of public and private areas in which all-purpose vehicles or motor vehicles may be used by permit holders, and any other procedures and requirements governing the permits that the chief determines are necessary. The chief shall not charge a fee for the issuance of a permit under this section.

Section 1533.11 | Special deer or wild turkey permits; fees; wildlife refunds fund.

• Effective: September 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly

(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:

Deer permit - resident	$30.00
Deer permit - nonresident	$74.00
Youth deer permit - resident and nonresident	$15.00
Senior deer permit - resident	$11.00
Wild turkey permit - resident	$30.00
Wild turkey permit - nonresident	$37.00
Youth wild turkey permit - resident and nonresident	$15.00
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 years of age or older at the time of application for a permit.

(3) The money received shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the wildlife fund, created in section 1531.17 of the Revised Code, exclusively for the use of the division of wildlife in the acquisition and development of land for deer or wild turkey management, for investigating deer or wild turkey problems, and for the stocking, management, and protection of deer or wild turkey.

(4) Every person, while hunting deer or wild turkey on lands of another, shall carry the person's deer or wild turkey permit and exhibit it to any enforcement officer so requesting. Failure to so carry and exhibit such a permit constitutes an offense under this section.

(5) The chief of the division of wildlife shall adopt any additional rules the chief considers necessary to carry out this section and section 1533.10 of the Revised Code.

(6) An owner who is a resident of this state or an owner who is exempt from obtaining a hunting license under section 1533.10 of the Revised Code and the children of the owner of lands in this state may hunt deer or wild turkey thereon without a deer or wild turkey permit. 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 may hunt deer or wild turkey on the land owned by the limited liability company or limited liability partnership without a deer or wild turkey permit. 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 may hunt deer or wild turkey on the land owned by the trust without a deer or wild turkey permit. The tenant and children of the tenant may hunt deer or wild turkey on lands where they reside without a deer or wild turkey permit.

(B) A deer or wild turkey permit is not transferable. No person shall carry a deer or wild turkey permit issued in the name of another person.

(C) The wildlife refunds fund is hereby created in the state treasury. The fund shall consist of money received from application fees for deer permits that are not issued. Money in the fund shall be used to make refunds of such application fees.

(D) If the division establishes a system for the electronic submission of information regarding deer or wild turkey that are taken, the division shall allow the owner and the children of the owner of lands in this state to use the owner's name or address for purposes of submitting that information electronically via that system.

Last updated August 11, 2022 at 1:15 PM

Section 1533.111 | Hunting or trapping fur taker permit - trapper education 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 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:

Fur taker permit	$14.00
Apprentice fur taker permit	$14.00
Senior fur taker permit - resident only	$7.00
Apprentice senior fur taker permit - resident only	$7.00
Special youth fur taker permit	$7.00
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 years of age or older at the time of application for a permit.

(C) Each type of fur taker permit is valid during the hunting license year in which the permit is purchased. The money received shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the fund established in section 1533.15 of the Revised Code. Apprentice fur taker permits and apprentice youth fur taker permits are subject to the requirements established under section 1533.102 of the Revised Code and rules adopted pursuant to it.

(D)(1) No person shall issue a fur taker permit to an applicant 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 person shall issue a fur taker permit, other than an apprentice fur taker permit or an apprentice youth fur taker permit, to an applicant unless the applicant presents to the agent authorized to issue a fur taker permit a previously held hunting license or trapping or fur taker permit or evidence of having held such a license or permit in content and manner approved by the chief of the division of wildlife, a certificate of completion issued upon completion of a trapper education course approved by the chief, or evidence of equivalent training in content and manner approved by the chief. A previously held apprentice hunting license, apprentice fur taker permit, or apprentice youth fur taker permit does not satisfy the requirement concerning the presentation of a previously held hunting license or fur taker permit or evidence of such a license or permit.

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

(E) The chief, with approval of the wildlife council, shall adopt rules prescribing a trapper education course for first-time fur taker permit buyers, other than buyers of apprentice fur taker permits or apprentice youth fur taker permits, and for volunteer instructors. The course shall consist of subjects that include, but are not limited to, trapping techniques, animal habits and identification, trapping tradition and ethics, the trapper 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 trapping. Authorized personnel of the division of wildlife or volunteer instructors approved by the chief shall conduct the courses with such frequency and at such locations throughout the state as to reasonably meet the needs of permit 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.

(F) Every person, while hunting or trapping fur-bearing animals on lands of another, shall carry the person's fur taker permit with the person's signature written on the permit. Failure to carry such a signed permit constitutes an offense under this section. The chief shall adopt any additional rules the chief considers necessary to carry out this section.

(G) An owner who is a resident of this state or an owner who is exempt from obtaining a hunting license under section 1533.10 of the Revised Code and the children of the owner of lands in this state may hunt or trap fur-bearing animals thereon without a fur taker permit. 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 may hunt or trap fur-bearing animals on the land owned by the limited liability company or limited liability partnership without a fur taker permit. 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 may hunt or trap fur-bearing animals on the land owned by the trust without a fur taker permit. The tenant and children of the tenant may hunt or trap fur-bearing animals on lands where they reside without a fur taker permit.

(H) A fur taker permit is not transferable. No person shall carry a fur taker permit issued in the name of another person.

(I) A fur taker permit entitles a nonresident to take from this state fur-bearing animals taken and possessed by the nonresident as provided by law or division rule.

Last updated April 20, 2021 at 1:40 PM

Section 1533.112 | Annual wetlands habitat stamp needed to hunt ducks, geese or brant - wetlands habitat fund.

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

Except as provided in this section or unless otherwise provided by division rule, no person shall hunt ducks, geese, or brant on the lands of another without first obtaining an annual wetlands habitat stamp. The annual fee for the wetlands habitat stamp is fourteen dollars for each stamp unless otherwise provided in rules adopted under division (B) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code.

Moneys received from the stamp fee shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the wetlands habitat fund, which is hereby established. Moneys shall be paid from the fund on the order of the director of natural resources for the following purposes:

(A) Sixty per cent for projects that the division approves for the acquisition, development, management, or preservation of waterfowl areas within the state;

(B) Forty per cent for contribution by the division to an appropriate nonprofit organization for the acquisition, development, management, or preservation of lands and waters within the United States or Canada that provide or will provide habitat for waterfowl with migration routes that cross this state.

No moneys derived from the issuance of wetlands habitat stamps shall be spent for purposes other than those specified by this section. All investment earnings of the fund shall be credited to the fund.

Wetlands habitat stamps shall be furnished by and in a form prescribed by the chief of the division of wildlife and issued by clerks and other agents authorized to issue licenses and permits under section 1533.13 of the Revised Code. The record of stamps kept by the clerks and other agents shall be uniform throughout the state, in such form or manner as the director prescribes, and open at all reasonable hours to the inspection of any person. Unless otherwise provided by rule, each stamp shall remain in force until midnight of the thirty-first day of August next ensuing. Wetlands habitat stamps may be issued in any manner to any person on any date, whether or not that date is within the period in which they are effective.

Every person to whom this section applies, while hunting ducks, geese, or brant, shall carry an unexpired wetlands habitat stamp that is validated by the person's signature written on the stamp in ink and shall exhibit the stamp to any enforcement officer so requesting. No person shall fail to carry and exhibit the person's stamp.

A wetlands habitat stamp is not transferable.

The chief shall establish a procedure to obtain subject matter to be printed on the wetlands habitat stamp and shall use, dispose of, or distribute the subject matter as the chief considers necessary. The chief also shall adopt rules necessary to administer this section.

This section does not apply to persons under sixteen years of age nor to persons exempted from procuring a hunting license under section 1533.10 or division (A)(2) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.113 | Rules for management permits.

• Effective: September 29, 1995
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 117 - 121st General Assembly

If the chief of the division of wildlife determines that the licenses, permits, and stamps issued under this chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code are insufficient for proper wildlife management in specific geographic areas or for specific species of wild animals, the chief may adopt rules in accordance with section 1531.10 of the Revised Code doing all of the following:

(A) Providing for the issuance of management permits;

(B) Establishing requirements governing those permits that modify the requirements established under this chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code governing licenses, permits, and stamps;

(C) Establishing fees for management permits that shall not exceed the fees established under this chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code for licenses, permits, and stamps.

Rules adopted under division (C) of this section shall be adopted only upon approval of the controlling board and the wildlife council created in section 1531.03 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.12 | Hunting, fishing or trapping without a license or permit.

• Effective: April 6, 2023
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 281 - 134th General Assembly

(A)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (A)(2) of this section, every person on active duty in the armed forces of the United States who is stationed in this state and who wishes to engage in an activity for which a license, permit, or stamp is required under this chapter first shall obtain the requisite license, permit, or stamp. Such a person is eligible to obtain a resident hunting or fishing license regardless of whether the person qualifies as a resident of this state. To obtain a resident hunting or fishing license, the person shall present a card or other evidence identifying the person as being on active duty in the armed forces of the United States and as being stationed in this state.

(2) Every person on active duty in the armed forces of the United States, while on leave or furlough, may take or catch fish of the kind lawfully permitted to be taken or caught within the state, may hunt any wild bird or wild quadruped lawfully permitted to be hunted within the state, and may trap fur-bearing animals lawfully permitted to be trapped within the state, without procuring a fishing license, a hunting license, a fur taker permit, or a wetlands habitat stamp required by this chapter, provided that the person shall carry on the person when fishing, hunting, or trapping, a card or other evidence identifying the person as being on active duty in the armed forces of the United States, and provided that the person is not otherwise violating any of the hunting, fishing, and trapping laws of this state.

In order to hunt deer or wild turkey, any such person shall obtain a deer or wild turkey permit, as applicable, under section 1533.11 of the Revised Code. Such a person is eligible to obtain a deer or wild turkey permit at the resident rate, regardless of whether the person is a resident of this state. However, the person need not obtain a hunting license in order to obtain such a permit.

(B) The chief of the division of wildlife shall provide by rule adopted under section 1531.10 of the Revised Code all of the following:

(1) Every resident of this state with a disability that has been determined by the veterans administration to be permanently and totally disabling, who receives a pension or compensation from the veterans administration, and who received an honorable discharge from the armed forces of the United States, and every veteran to whom the registrar of motor vehicles has issued a set of license plates under section 4503.41 of the Revised Code, shall be issued a fishing license, hunting license, fur taker permit, deer or wild turkey permit, or wetlands habitat stamp, or any combination of those licenses, permits, and stamp, free of charge on an annual, multi-year, or lifetime basis as determined appropriate by the chief when application is made to the chief in the manner prescribed by and on forms provided by the chief.

(2) Every resident of the state who was born on or before December 31, 1937, shall be issued an annual fishing license, hunting license, fur taker permit, deer or wild turkey permit, or wetlands habitat stamp, or any combination of those licenses, permits, and stamp, free of charge when application is made to the chief in the manner prescribed by and on forms provided by the chief.

(3) Every resident of state or county institutions, charitable institutions, and military homes in this state shall be issued an annual fishing license free of charge when application is made to the chief in the manner prescribed by and on forms provided by the chief.

(4) As used in division (B)(4) of this section, "blind" and "person with a mobility impairment" have the same meanings as in section 955.011 of the Revised Code.

Any person with a mobility impairment or blind person who is a resident of this state and who is unable to engage in fishing without the assistance of another person shall be issued an annual fishing license free of charge when application is made to the chief in the manner prescribed by and on forms provided by the chief. The person who is assisting the person with a mobility impairment or blind person may assist in taking or catching fish of the kind permitted to be taken or caught without procuring the license required under section 1533.32 of the Revised Code, provided that only one line is used by both persons.

(5) As used in division (B)(5) of this section, "prisoner of war" means any regularly appointed, enrolled, enlisted, or inducted member of the military forces of the United States who was captured, separated, and incarcerated by an enemy of the United States.

Any person who has been a prisoner of war, was honorably discharged from the military forces, and is a resident of this state shall be issued a fishing license, hunting license, fur taker permit, or wetlands habitat stamp, or any combination of those licenses, permits, and stamp, free of charge on an annual, multi-year, or lifetime basis as determined appropriate by the chief when application is made to the chief in the manner prescribed by and on forms provided by the chief.

(C) The chief shall adopt rules pursuant to section 1531.08 of the Revised Code designating not more than two days, which need not be consecutive, in each year as "free sport fishing days" on which any resident may exercise the privileges accorded the holder of a fishing license issued under section 1533.32 of the Revised Code without procuring such a license, provided that the person is not otherwise violating any of the fishing laws of this state.

Last updated March 10, 2023 at 11:07 AM

Section 1533.121 | Deer killed by motor vehicle on highway.

• Effective: August 14, 2002
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 493 - 124th General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, the driver of every motor vehicle that has caused the death of a deer by striking the deer on a highway may take possession of the deer, provided that within twenty-four hours thereafter, the driver reports the accident to a wildlife officer or other law enforcement officer. The officer shall investigate, and, if the officer finds the death has been caused as alleged, the officer shall give a certificate for legal ownership of the deer to the driver. If the deer is unclaimed, the certificate for legal ownership may be given to a private or public institution or charity or to another person.

Section 1533.13 | Persons authorized to issue licenses, stamps and permits - application procedure.

• Effective: September 28, 2018
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 257 - 132nd General Assembly

Hunting and fishing licenses, wetlands habitat stamps, deer and wild turkey permits, fur taker permits, and any other licenses, permits, or stamps that are required under this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code and any reissued license, permit, or stamp may be issued by the clerk of the court of common pleas, village clerks, township fiscal officers, and other authorized agents designated by the chief of the division of wildlife. When required by the chief, a clerk, fiscal officer, or other agent shall give bond in the manner provided by the chief. All bonds, reports, except records prescribed by the auditor of state, and moneys received by those persons shall be handled under rules adopted by the director of natural resources.

The premium of any bond prescribed by the chief under this section may be paid by the chief. Any person who is designated and authorized by the chief to issue licenses, stamps, and permits as provided in this section, except the clerk of the court of common pleas, a village clerk, and a township fiscal officer, shall pay to the chief a premium in an amount that represents the person's portion of the premium paid by the chief under this section, which amount shall be established by the chief and approved by the wildlife council created under section 1531.03 of the Revised Code. The chief shall pay all moneys that the chief receives as premiums under this section into the state treasury to the credit of the wildlife fund created under section 1531.17 of the Revised Code.

Every authorized agent, for the purpose of issuing hunting and fishing licenses, wetlands habitat stamps, deer and wild turkey permits, and fur taker permits, may administer oaths to and take affidavits from applicants for the licenses, stamps, or permits when required. An authorized agent may appoint deputies to perform any acts that the agent is authorized to perform, consistent with division rules.

Every applicant for a hunting or fishing license, wetlands habitat stamp, deer or wild turkey permit, or fur taker permit, unless otherwise provided by division rule, shall provide the applicant's name, date of birth, weight, height, and place of residence and any other information that the chief may require. The clerk, fiscal officer, or other agent authorized to issue licenses, stamps, and permits shall charge each applicant a fee of one dollar or four per cent of the cost of the license, stamp, or permit, whichever is greater, for taking the information provided by the applicant and issuing the license, stamp, or permit. The application, license, stamp, permit, and other blanks required by this section shall be prepared and furnished by the chief, in the form the chief provides, to the clerk, fiscal officer, or other agent authorized to issue them. The licenses and permits shall be issued to applicants by the clerk, fiscal officer, or other agent. The record of licenses and permits kept by the clerks, fiscal officers, and other agents shall be uniform throughout the state and in the form or manner as the auditor of state prescribes and shall be open at all reasonable hours to the inspection of any person. Unless otherwise provided by division rule, each annual hunting license, deer or wild turkey permit, and fur taker permit issued shall remain in force until the first day of March. Application for any such license or permit may be made and a license or permit issued prior to the date upon which it becomes effective.

The chief may require an applicant who wishes to purchase a license, stamp, or permit by mail or telephone or via the internet to pay a nominal fee for postage and handling and credit card transactions.

The court before whom a violator of any laws or division rules for the protection of wild animals is tried, as a part of the punishment, shall revoke the license, stamp, or permit of any person convicted. The license, stamp, or permit fee paid by that person shall not be returned to the person. The person shall not procure or use any other license, stamp, or permit or engage in hunting wild animals or trapping fur-bearing animals during the period of revocation as ordered by the court.

No person under sixteen years of age shall engage in hunting unless accompanied by the person's parent or another adult person.

Section 1533.131 | Gift certificates for licenses, permits, and stamps.

• Effective: April 6, 2007
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 443 - 126th General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife may sell gift certificates that may be used to obtain hunting and fishing licenses, fur taker, deer, and wild turkey permits, and wetlands habitat stamps. For the purposes of this section, the chief shall adopt rules in accordance with section 1531.10 of the Revised Code doing all of the following:

(A) Providing that a gift certificate may be used to obtain a resident or nonresident hunting license under section 1533.10 of the Revised Code, a resident or nonresident fishing license under section 1533.32 of the Revised Code, a fur taker permit under section 1533.111 of the Revised Code, a deer or wild turkey permit under section 1533.11 of the Revised Code, a wetlands habitat stamp under section 1533.112 of the Revised Code, or a combination of those licenses, permits, and stamps;

(B) Prescribing the form for the gift certificates;

(C) Authorizing persons who are designated and authorized under section 1533.13 of the Revised Code to sell licenses and permits under this chapter also to sell gift certificates under this section;

(D) Establishing fees for the gift certificates, which shall equal the total of the fee for a resident or nonresident hunting license, a resident or nonresident fishing license, a fur taker permit, a deer or wild turkey permit, a wetlands habitat stamp, or a combination of those licenses, permits, and stamp, as applicable, and the fee established under section 1533.13 of the Revised Code;

(E) Requiring gift certificates to expire one year after the date of purchase.

Nothing in this section or rules adopted under it relieves an individual who receives a gift certificate for a hunting license from complying with the requirement established under section 1533.10 of the Revised Code to present, when applying for 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.

Nothing in this section or rules adopted under it relieves an individual who receives a gift certificate for a fur taker permit from complying with the requirements established under section 1533.111 of the Revised Code to present, when applying for the permit, a previously held hunting license or trapping or fur taker permit or evidence of having held such a license or permit in content and manner approved by the chief, a certificate of completion issued upon completion of a trapper education course approved by the chief, or evidence of equivalent training in content and manner approved by the chief.

Section 1533.14 | Hunting license or wetlands habitat stamp not transferable - license to be carried and exhibited.

• Effective: February 25, 1998
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 203 - 122nd General Assembly

Unless otherwise provided by division rule, no hunting license or wetlands habitat stamp is transferable and no hunter shall carry a hunting license or wetlands habitat stamp that was issued in the name of another person or that does not contain the signature of the agent issuing it.

Every person, while hunting or trapping on the lands of another, shall carry the person's hunting license on the person's own self and exhibit it to any wildlife officer, constable, sheriff, deputy sheriff, or police officer, to the owner or person in lawful control of the land upon which the person is hunting or trapping, or to any other person. Failure to so carry or exhibit such a license constitutes an offense under this section. This chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code do not allow any person to hunt or trap on any land without the written consent of the owner thereof.

Such a license entitles a nonresident to take from this state game birds or game quadrupeds killed and possessed by the nonresident as provided by law or division rule.

Section 1533.15 | Issuing, dating and recording licenses.

• Effective: February 25, 1998
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 203 - 122nd General Assembly

Except as provided by division rule, the clerks and other agents authorized to issue hunting and fishing licenses, deer and wild turkey permits, and fur taker permits shall issue them in consecutive order of their numbers as stamped on the upper left corner of each license or permit with the date and exact time of day of issuance plainly written thereon and shall keep a record of the licenses and permits issued, together with the names and addresses of the persons to whom the licenses and permits were issued. No license or permit sold in conformity with sections 1533.10, 1533.11, 1533.111, and 1533.32 of the Revised Code shall show any date and hour of issuance prior to the actual date and hour when the license or permit was issued to the applicant, and any violation of this requirement is an offense by both the purchaser of the falsely dated license or permit and the clerk or agent who issued it. A falsely dated license or permit immediately is void, and in any hearing before any court having jurisdiction, it shall be construed that no license or permit was issued.

The clerks and other agents shall transmit with their reports to the director of natural resources, or another person authorized to receive them, all the moneys received as license and permit fees and may include the amounts paid to the clerks and other agents as their fees.

Moneys received as fees under sections 1533.10 and 1533.111 of the Revised Code shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the wildlife fund, which shall be exclusively for the use of the department of natural resources in the education of hunters and trappers, for the purchase, management, preservation, propagation, protection, and stocking of wild birds and wild quadrupeds, for establishing and purchasing or otherwise acquiring title to lands for game preservation, propagation, and protection, and for public hunting grounds under rules to be adopted by the chief of the division of wildlife. The chief may employ on such lands one or more game management agents and wildlife officers at such salary and with such duties as the chief prescribes for improving habitat for wild birds and wild quadrupeds and for all phases of game management, propagation, and protection, including the necessary biological investigations, for printing summarized game laws and the division of wildlife lawbook, and for printing such educational leaflets, pamphlets, and books and promoting such educational, survey, and research activities pertaining to the management, preservation, propagation, and protection of wild animals as are approved by the chief and as provided in this chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code.

The department shall not spend more than thirty-five per cent of this fund for administration and enforcement.

No moneys derived from hunting licenses, deer or wild turkey permits, and fur taker permits shall be spent for other than hunting and trapping purposes, as defined in this section and sections 1533.11 and 1533.111 of the Revised Code.

The wildlife fund shall be reimbursed, as provided in this section, for the cost of hunting and fishing licenses, permits, and stamps required to be issued free of charge pursuant to rules adopted under division (B) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code. The chief shall compile data on the number, type, and amount of fees that would have been collected for the licenses, permits, and stamps if they were not issued free of charge. The chief shall certify the amount of foregone revenue for the previous fiscal year for the free licenses, permits, and stamps to the director of budget and management. Beginning with the amount for fiscal year 1992, the director shall transfer the lesser of one million dollars per year or the amount so certified from the general revenue fund to the wildlife fund, by intrastate transfer voucher.

No person, on any lands acquired and set aside for wild animal management, preservation, propagation, and protection or public hunting grounds having plainly marked boundaries, or with knowledge that such lands are so acquired and set aside, shall take, hunt or trap, kill, or pursue any wild animal on such lands, except as provided by law or division rules. No person shall enter upon such lands or lands held by the state for purposes of reforestation with intent to cut growing timber on any such lands or otherwise commit waste thereon. Hunting may be engaged in on lands set aside for purposes of reforestation as provided by division rules and approved by the division of forestry.

Section 1533.151 | Wildlife conservation stamps.

• Effective: September 26, 2003
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 95 - 125th General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife, with the approval of the director of natural resources, may print and issue stamps portraying wild animals of the state. This stamp shall be identified as a wildlife conservation stamp. The fee for each stamp shall be not more than the fee for a wetlands habitat stamp issued under section 1533.112 of the Revised Code.

The purchase of wildlife conservation stamps shall provide no privileges to the purchaser, but merely recognizes the person as voluntarily contributing to the management, protection, and the perpetuation of the wildlife resources of the state. All moneys received from the sale of wildlife conservation stamps shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the nongame and endangered wildlife fund to be used exclusively by the division of wildlife for the purposes outlined in section 1531.26 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.16 | Weapons for taking game birds and wild quadrupeds.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

Game birds and wild quadrupeds shall be taken only by hunting with a gun, with a gun and dog, with a bow and arrow, or with a bow and arrow and dog unless otherwise provided by the Revised Code or division rule. Fur-bearing animals may be taken by trapping according to the Revised Code or division rule. No gun larger than ten gauge shall be used in taking game birds or wild quadrupeds.

Section 1533.161 | Prohibiting jacklighting.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

No person shall throw or cast the rays of a spotlight or other artificial light from any vehicle into any field, woodland, or forest while having in his possession a hunting device, or throw or cast the rays of a spotlight or other artificial light from any vehicle into any field, woodland, or forest for the purpose of locating a wild animal.

This section does not apply to law enforcement officers, wildlife officers, military personnel, and officers or employees of the department of natural resources while in the performance of their duties, or to any landowner or lessee having a reason to use a light while engaged in surveillance or protection of his property.

An officer whose duty it is to enforce this chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code and division rules may arrest a person whom he has reasonable grounds to believe is violating this section, search the vehicle for firearms or other hunting implements in the possession or under the control of that person, and seize the same.

Section 1533.17 | Hunting without permission.

• Effective: June 1, 1998
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 103 - 122nd General Assembly

(A) No person shall hunt or trap upon any lands, pond, lake, or private waters of another, except water claimed by riparian right of ownership in adjacent lands, or shoot, shoot at, catch, kill, injure, or pursue a wild bird, wild waterfowl, or wild animal thereon without obtaining written permission from the owner or the owner's authorized agent.

(B) Except as otherwise provided in this division, the owner, lessee, renter, or occupant of any lands, pond, lake, or private waters upon which a person violates division (A) of this section is not liable in damages to any person in a civil action for injury, death, or loss to person or property that arises during or incidental to the violation. For the purposes of this division, a finding that a person violated division (A) of this section is not dependent upon the person being charged with or convicted of a violation of division (A) of this section. This division does not apply to civil claims based upon alleged willful or wanton misconduct or intentionally tortious conduct of the owner, lessee, renter, or occupant. This division does not create a new cause of action or a substantive legal right against the owner, lessee, renter, or occupant, and does not affect any immunities from civil liability or defenses established by another section of the Revised Code or available at common law, to which the owner, lessee, renter, or occupant may be entitled under circumstances not covered by this section.

(C) A person who obtains the permission required under division (A) of this section shall carry it with the person at all times during which the person is engaged in an activity for which the permission is required and shall exhibit it upon request of a wildlife officer, constable, sheriff, deputy sheriff, police officer, other law enforcement officer, or the owner of the lands, pond, lake, or private waters on which the person is hunting or trapping or the owner's authorized agent.

Section 1533.171 | Prohibiting injuring persons or property while hunting.

• Effective: April 6, 2007
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 443 - 126th General Assembly

(A) No person, in the act of hunting, pursuing, taking, or killing a wild animal, shall act in a negligent, careless, or reckless manner so as to injure persons or property.

(B) The court before whom any person is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of division (A) of this section shall report that fact, together with the violator's name and address, to the chief of the division of wildlife not later than ten days after the date of conviction or plea.

(C) Not later than seven days after receiving a notification under division (B) of this section, the chief shall revoke, for not less than one year nor more than five years, each hunting license, fur taker permit, deer permit, wild turkey permit, and wetlands habitat stamp issued to that person under this chapter. No fee paid for such a license, permit, or stamp shall be returned to the person.

Upon revoking a license, permit, or stamp, or a combination thereof, under this division, the chief immediately shall send a notice of that action by certified mail to the last known address of the person. The notice shall state the action taken, order the person to surrender the revoked license, permit, or stamp, or combination thereof, and state that the department of natural resources will not afford a hearing as required under section 119.06 of the Revised Code.

(D) If, after receiving a notice under division (C) of this section, the person decides to petition for a review of the revocation, the person shall file a petition for such a review not later than thirty days after receiving the notice in the municipal court or the county court, or, if the person is under eighteen years of age, the juvenile court, in whose jurisdiction the violation occurred. The review shall be limited to the question of the appropriateness of the period of revocation. The court shall send a copy of the petition to the chief by certified mail together with timely notice of the date, time, and place of a hearing on the petition. The filing of a petition for a review shall not stay the revocation during the pendency of the appeal.

(E) No person whose license, permit, or stamp, or a combination thereof, has been revoked under this section shall attempt to purchase, purchase, apply for, or receive any hunting license, fur taker permit, deer permit, wild turkey permit, or wetlands habitat stamp issued under this chapter or engage in hunting during the time any such license, permit, or stamp, or a combination thereof, is revoked.

Section 1533.18 | Recreational user definitions.

• Effective: June 30, 2007
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 67 - 127th General Assembly

As used in sections 1533.18 and 1533.181 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Premises" means all privately owned lands, ways, and waters, and any buildings and structures thereon, and all privately owned and state-owned lands, ways, and waters leased to a private person, firm, or organization, including any buildings and structures thereon.

(B) "Recreational user" means a person to whom permission has been granted, without the payment of a fee or consideration to the owner, lessee, or occupant of premises, other than a fee or consideration paid to the state or any agency of the state, or a lease payment or fee paid to the owner of privately owned lands, to enter upon premises to hunt, fish, trap, camp, hike, or swim, or to operate a snowmobile, all-purpose vehicle, or four-wheel drive motor vehicle, or to engage in other recreational pursuits.

(C) "All-purpose vehicle" has the same meaning as in section 4519.01 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.181 | Immunity.

• Effective: September 29, 1995
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 117 - 121st General Assembly

(A) No owner, lessee, or occupant of premises:

(1) Owes any duty to a recreational user to keep the premises safe for entry or use;

(2) Extends any assurance to a recreational user, through the act of giving permission, that the premises are safe for entry or use;

(3) Assumes responsibility for or incurs liability for any injury to person or property caused by any act of a recreational user.

(B) Division (A) of this section applies to the owner, lessee, or occupant of privately owned, nonresidential premises, whether or not the premises are kept open for public use and whether or not the owner, lessee, or occupant denies entry to certain individuals.

Section 1533.19 | Field trial club permits.

• Effective: September 26, 2003
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 95 - 125th General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, recognized field trial clubs may shoot domestically raised quails, chukar partridges, ducks, pheasants, or other game birds and common pigeons at any time during the daylight hours from the first day of September to the thirtieth day of April of the following year, both dates inclusive. Such domestically raised quails, chukar partridges, ducks, pheasants, and other game birds shall be banded prior to release and approved by the division of wildlife for field trial use, provided that permission for the holding of such a trial shall be obtained from the division. Permission shall be requested in writing at least thirty days in advance of the trial. The request shall contain the name of the recognized field trial club and the names of its officers, the date and location of the trial, and the name of the licensed breeders from whom the quails, chukar partridges, ducks, pheasants, or other game birds will be obtained. The division may grant a written permit when it is satisfied that the trial is a bona fide one conducted by a bona fide club under this section. When an application is approved, a permit shall be issued after the payment of a fee of fifty dollars for each day upon which the trials are conducted. Participants in such trials need not possess a hunter's license while participating in the trials. The division shall supervise all such trials and shall enforce all laws and division rules governing them. If unbanded quails, chukar partridges, ducks, pheasants, or other game birds are accidentally shot during such trials, they immediately shall be replaced by the club by the releasing of an equal number of live quails, chukar partridges, ducks, pheasants, or other game birds under the supervision of the division.

Section 1533.191 | Purchase of domestically raised game birds for dog training grounds.

• Effective: November 25, 1969
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 398 - 108th General Assembly

Organized field trial clubs or individuals may purchase domestically raised quails, chukar partridges, pheasants, black and mallard ducks, and other game birds from licensed breeders, and may shoot quails, chukar partridges, pheasants, ducks or other game birds and common pigeons that are approved by the division of wildlife at any time during the daylight hours, only on grounds designated by the division of wildlife as "dog training grounds," and only as provided in this section and under such additional regulations as the chief of the division of wildlife may prescribe subject to sections 119.01 to 119.13, inclusive, of the Revised Code, for the purpose of the establishment, operation, and control of such areas as he deems necessary. Failure to comply with all rules and regulations established by the chief of the division of wildlife pursuant to this section shall be sufficient cause for refusal to issue a permit or for revocation of an existing permit.

Bands furnished by the division of wildlife shall be used to designate each quail, chukar partridge, pheasant, duck, or other game bird used on such designated grounds and shall be attached to quails, chukar partridges, pheasants, ducks, or other game birds, as prescribed by the chief of the division of wildlife, prior to being released. The division of wildlife shall provide such bands and collect a nominal fee for each band.

If unbanded wild quails, chukar partridges, pheasants, ducks, or other game birds are accidentally shot on such grounds they shall be immediately banded with a band furnished by the division of wildlife and be replaced by releasing an equal number of live quails, chukar partridges, pheasants, ducks, or other game birds under the supervision of the division of wildlife.

"Designated grounds" are areas of land not exceeding fifty acres where permission from the owner or lessee has first been obtained and the exact location and description of the area together with the name of the club or individual operator has been furnished in writing to the division of wildlife. The division shall formulate and provide suitable signs to be placed around the boundaries of such grounds and a nominal fee shall be collected for such signs. The division may then issue a permit, which shall expire at midnight on the thirtieth day of April following the date of issuance, when it is satisfied that the use thereof is a bona fide use in accordance with the provisions of this section.

Any permit issued to a club or individual under the provisions of this section may be revoked at any time for cause, by the chief of the division of wildlife, and no other permit shall be issued to such club or individual during the period for which such revoked permit was issued.

Each quail, chukar partridge, pheasant, duck, or other game bird or common pigeon taken in violation of this section constitutes a separate offense.

Dog training grounds shall not be used to conduct shooting trials except as provided in section 1533.19 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.20 | Field trial areas - permit.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

The division of wildlife may acquire by gift, lease, or purchase lands to be used and developed for the purpose of conducting field trials for dogs. The division shall set aside field trial areas on lands owned or controlled by the state in each of the conservation districts, when such lands are available for that purpose, whereon field trials for dogs may be conducted. The areas also may be used by the division for the propagation of wildlife and for wildlife experimental purposes, provided that the experiments do not interfere with the use thereof for field trials. Clubs and individuals may be granted permission to stock such areas with wild game and provide food and shelter for that game.

Any organization or person desiring to hold a field trial on any of such areas shall file a request in writing with the division. The division shall grant a written permit when it is satisfied that the field trial to be conducted is a bona fide one.

Section 1533.21 | Club lands may be designated as field trial area.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

A club or an association organized to conduct field trials which has acquired through purchase, lease, or other agreement with owners or lessees an area of land for a period of not less than twelve months may apply to the division of wildlife to have such area designated as a field trial area for the period of the control of such land by such club or organization or any extended period thereof. The division shall satisfy itself that said area is available to such club or organization for field trials during the period represented. If satisfied that the representation has been correctly presented, it shall certify such area as a field trial area for the period contained in the application or any extension thereof.

Section 1533.22 | Signs for field trial areas - hunting or trapping within areas.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

The division of wildlife shall provide suitable signs to be placed around the boundaries of field trial areas for public notice.

Persons following dogs on field trial areas at any time are not considered to be pursuing wild game with the intent of taking or reducing to possession. The division may grant permission to trap or otherwise destroy vermin on any field trial area only when the vermin is detrimental to the kind of game for which the field trial area has been established.

No person shall hunt or trap within a field trial area except in the manner provided by the division for state owned or leased field trial areas.

Section 1533.221 | Restricting filed trials for nonresidents.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

A nonresident of this state shall not exercise, train, or work a dog in this state at any time when residents of this state are prohibited from exercising, training, or working a dog in the state in which the nonresident resides, except as otherwise provided by division rule. Nonresidents may participate in bona fide field trials at any time after proper entry.

Section 1533.23 | Fur dealer's permit.

• Effective: September 26, 2003
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 95 - 125th General Assembly

No person shall deal in or buy green or dried furs, skins, or parts thereof taken from fur-bearing animals of the state, except domesticated rabbits, without a fur dealer's permit. Every applicant for a fur dealer's permit shall make and subscribe a statement setting forth the applicant's name, place of residence, and whom the applicant represents. Every applicant for a dealer's permit who is a nonresident of the state, or who is a resident of the state and is an agent or representative of a nonresident person, firm, or corporation, shall pay an annual fee of two hundred dollars to the chief of the division of wildlife issuing such permit, and every applicant for a dealer's permit who is a resident of the state shall pay an annual fee of seventy-five dollars to the chief issuing such permit. Every fur dealer shall operate under such additional rules as are provided by the chief. The chief shall pay the fees into the state treasury to the credit of the fund created by section 1533.15 of the Revised Code for the use of the division of wildlife in the purchase, preservation, protection, and stocking of fur-bearing animals and for the necessary clerical help and forms required by this section and section 1533.24 of the Revised Code.

All permits shall be procured from the chief and the application, license, and other blanks required by this section and section 1533.24 of the Revised Code shall be in such form as the chief prescribes. Each such permit shall expire on the thirtieth day of April next after its issuance.

Section 1533.24 | Fur dealer's daily record - forms - carrier restrictions.

• Effective: March 18, 1999
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 187 - 122nd General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, every fur dealer shall keep a daily record on forms provided by the division of wildlife of all purchases and sales of furs, skins, or parts thereof of fur-bearing animals made during the previous year. The daily record shall include any pertinent information that the division may require. The information may include, but not be limited to, the number and kinds bought and sold, the dates of each purchase and sale, identification of all purchases from another fur dealer, and the state and counties in which the furs, skins, or parts thereof were taken. Every fur dealer shall submit completed forms to the division of all transactions made during the preceding season by the fifteenth day of May each year. All records required to be maintained by a fur dealer shall be open at all reasonable times to inspection by duly authorized division personnel who may inspect the furs, skins, or parts thereof on hand at any time and check and verify the records and reports required to be kept.

No common carrier shall knowingly ship or transport or receive for transportation or shipment any green or dried furs, skins, or parts thereof of fur-bearing animals unless there is plainly written thereon the name of the shipper and the number of the shipper's hunting license or fur dealer's permit.

Section 1533.28 | Wildlife and fish restoration projects in cooperation with United States.

• Effective: November 15, 1981
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 694 - 114th General Assembly

The state hereby assents to the provisions of the act of congress entitled "An act to provide that the United States shall aid the states in wildlife restoration projects, and for other purposes," approved September 2, 1937, Public Law Number 415, as amended; and to the provisions of the act of congress entitled "an act to provide that the United States shall aid the states in fish restoration and management projects and for other purposes," approved August 9, 1950, Public Law Number 681, as amended.

The division of wildlife shall perform such acts as are necessary to the conduct and establishment of cooperative wildlife and fish restoration projects, as defined in said acts of congress, in compliance with said acts and with rules of the secretary of interior thereunder. No funds accruing to the state from license fees paid by hunters, trappers, or fishermen shall be diverted for any other purpose than the administration of the division of wildlife pursuant to Chapters 1531. and 1533. of the Revised Code.

The chief of the division of wildlife with the approval of the director may enter into agreements and participate in federal aid fish and wildlife programs, including, but not limited to:

(A) "Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration Act," Public Law Number 75-415 as amended;

(B) "Fish Restoration and Management Act," Public Law Number 81-681 as amended;

(C) "Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act," Public Law Number 96-366;

(D) "Endangered Species Act (wild animals)," Public Law Number 93-205 as amended;

(E) "Anadromous Fish Conservation Act," Public Law Number 89-304 as amended;

(F) "Commercial Fisheries Research and Development Act," Public Law Number 88-309 as amended.

The chief of the division, with the approval of the director, may, as he deems appropriate, further enter into agreements for the purpose of obtaining financial assistance to benefit fish and wild animals in Ohio.

Section 1533.29 | Prima-facie evidence of guilt.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

The finding of a gun, net, seine, boat, trap, or other device that is set, maintained, used, or had in possession in violation of the Revised Code or division rule is prima-facie evidence of the guilt of the person setting, maintaining, using, or possessing that property. The finding of a wild animal, or part thereof, unlawfully in the possession of any person is prima-facie evidence of the guilt of that person.

Section 1533.30 | Transportation of fish, game birds, and wild quadrupeds.

• Effective: November 20, 1973
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 453 - 110th General Assembly

No person shall receive for transportation, transport, or cause to be transported any box, package, or other receptacle containing fish, game birds, or wild quadrupeds, or any part thereof, unless such box, package, or receptacle bears a label showing the number and kind of such fish, game birds, or wild quadrupeds, or parts thereof, the name of the consignor and consignee, the initial point of billing, and the destination. Boxes, packages, or receptacles containing shipments of commercial fish may be marked by weight instead of the number of fish contained therein.

No person shall receive for transportation, transport, cause to be transported, or have in his possession with intent to transport or secure the transportation of, beyond the limits of this state, any game bird or game quadruped mentioned in Chapters 1531. and 1533. of the Revised Code, which has been killed in this state.

The reception and acceptance by any person within this state of such game bird or game quadruped for shipment to a point without the state is prima-facie evidence that it was killed within the state for conveyance beyond the limits thereof. If such game bird or game quadruped is legally taken by a nonresident, it may be transported by him from a point within the state to a point without the state, if it is accompanied by the actual owner thereof, and the owner has procured a nonresident hunting and trapping license. If such game bird or game quadruped is taken by a resident of this state in any other state or country, it may be transported by him from a point without the state to a point within the state, if the owner has an affidavit or other satisfactory evidence together with a nonresident license from the state or country in which such game bird or game quadruped was taken as proof of legal ownership.

This section does not apply to a common carrier into whose possession a game bird or game quadruped has come for transportation in the regular course of business, while such game bird or game quadruped is in transit through this state from a point without this state when the killing thereof is lawful to a point without this state.

Each game bird or game quadruped killed, taken, had in possession received for transportation, or transported contrary to this section constitutes a separate offense.

Section 1533.301 | Annual permit for transporting fish - suspension or revocation.

• Effective: September 26, 2003
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 95 - 125th General Assembly

Any person may apply for a permit to transport fish that are for sale, sold, or purchased. The chief of the division of wildlife shall issue an annual permit granting the applicant the privilege to transport such fish, upon filing of an application on a form prescribed by the chief and payment of a fee of sixty-five dollars. No person shall transport any fish or part thereof that is for sale, sold, or purchased, whether acquired in or outside this state, unless the consignor has a permit for the calendar year in which the fish is transported, except that no such permit is required for any of the following:

(A) Fish transported from a point outside this state to another point outside this state if the fish are not unloaded in this state. A fish is not to be considered unloaded for purposes of this section if it remains under the control of a common carrier.

(B) Fish being transported by a person holding a valid license under section 1533.34 of the Revised Code from the place of taking to the person's usual place of processing or temporary storage as designated by the person in the application for the license under that section;

(C) Fish being transported from a premises designated in a valid permit issued under section 1533.631 of the Revised Code to a premises where fish are to be sold at retail, sold for immediate consumption, or consumed if inspection of the designated premises as required by that section has not been denied during the preceding thirty days;

(D) Any quantity of fish the total weight of which does not exceed five hundred pounds in one vehicle;

(E) Minnows for which a permit is required under section 1533.40 of the Revised Code.

If a fish for which a permit is required under this section is transported in this state from a consignor who does not have a valid permit at the time of transportation, or if such a fish is transported in this state from a consignor who has a valid permit at the time of transportation, but the fish is part of the contents of a box, package, or receptacle that was or could be the basis for conviction of a violation of this chapter or a division rule, the fish may be seized by any law enforcement officer authorized by section 1531.13 of the Revised Code to enforce laws and division rules, and the fish shall escheat to the state unless a court of this state makes a specific finding that the consignor at the time of seizure had a valid permit under this section and that the fish are lawful under the requirements of this chapter or a division rule relating thereto.

A fish for which a permit is required under this section may be transported only if each box, package, or other receptacle bears a label showing the total weight in pounds, the species of the fish, the name of the consignor and consignee, the initial point of billing, the destination, and a statement that each species of fish by weight in the box, package, or other receptacle that are undersized under section 1533.63 of the Revised Code or division rule is ten per cent or less or is in excess of ten per cent, whichever the fact may be. If fish are not boxed or packaged, each compartment of a tank or other receptacle shall be considered a separate receptacle, but in lieu of a label on the compartment or tank a written statement containing the same information required to be contained on a label, and clearly identifying the tank or receptacle concerned, may be carried in the vehicle. Species may be designated in any manner, but the label also shall bear either the common name indicated in section 1533.63 of the Revised Code or the scientific name contained in section 1531.01 of the Revised Code. The consignor shall ascertain that labels are attached or statements carried as required herein and that the facts stated thereon are true.

The permit required by this section may be suspended by the chief for a period not to exceed five days upon conviction of the permittee of a violation of this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or a division rule if the permittee has been convicted of another such violation during the preceding twelve-month period. If the permittee has had two or more such convictions during the twelve-month period preceding such a conviction, the permittee's permit may be suspended as provided herein for a period not to exceed twenty days. A permit is invalid during the period of suspension, but in no case is a permit invalid until fifteen days after mailing by certified mail a notice of the rule of suspension by the chief.

The chief may not suspend more than one permit of the same permittee, or suspend a permit of the same permittee more than once, for convictions resulting from violations that occur in a load in one vehicle.

A driver or other person in charge of a vehicle transporting fish that are for sale, sold, or purchased, upon demand by any law enforcement officer authorized by section 1531.13 of the Revised Code to enforce laws and division rules, shall stop and open the vehicle and allow inspection of the load, and any box, package, or receptacle, and the contents thereof, for the purpose of determining whether this chapter or a division rule is being violated.

The word "fish" in the English language, at least eight inches high and maintained in a clear, conspicuous, and legible condition at all times, shall appear on both sides of the vehicle body of all vehicles transporting fresh water fish in this state when the fish are for sale or sold, except those fish exempt from a transportation permit in divisions (A), (B), and (E) of this section.

The chief may refuse to issue a permit to any person whose purpose in applying for the permit is to allow it to be used by another person to whom a permit has been refused or revoked. The chief also may revoke a person's permit when it is used for that purpose.

No civil action may be brought in any court in the state for the value or agreed price of fish that have escheated to the state under this section.

No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or a division rule adopted pursuant thereto.

In addition to other penalties provided in the Revised Code, the permit of any person who is convicted of two violations of this section that occurred within a twelve-month period is suspended upon the second such conviction by operation of law for a period of five fishing season days immediately following that conviction.

In addition to other penalties provided in the Revised Code, the permit of any person who is convicted of three or more violations of this section that occurred within a twelve-month period is suspended upon the third or subsequent conviction by operation of law for a period of twenty fishing season days immediately following that conviction.

During any period of suspension, no person shall use or engage in hauling or transporting fish with equipment owned, used, or controlled at the time of conviction by the permittee whose permit has been suspended.

Section 1533.31 | Shipment of live wild animals.

• Effective: September 30, 1963
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 573 - 105th General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife may permit or forbid or otherwise regulate the receiving of any species of live wild animals for delivery within the state and the shipping of such wild animals from any point in the state to any point within or without the state. Upon the establishment of such regulations, the chief of the division of wildlife or any person designated by him may seize, impound, destroy, or otherwise dispose of such wild animals when received, shipped, or transported in violation of such regulations.

This section does not authorize action to prevent, delay, or impede the transporting of such wild animals in interstate commerce by common carrier, providing neither the point of sending nor the point of receiving is within the state.

Section 1533.32 | Fishing licenses generally.

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

(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:

Annual fishing license - resident	$24.00
Annual fishing license - nonresident that is not a resident of a reciprocal state	$49.00
Annual fishing license - nonresident that is a resident of a reciprocal state	$24.00
Annual senior fishing license - resident	$9.00
Three-day tourist fishing license - nonresident that is not a resident of a reciprocal state	$24.00
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 years of age or older at the time of application for a license.

(3) Any person under the age of sixteen years may take or catch frogs and turtles and take or catch fish by angling without a license.

(C)(1) The chief of the division of wildlife may issue a tourist's license expiring three days from the effective date of the license to a resident of a state that is not a party to an agreement under section 1533.91 of the Revised Code.

(2) The chief shall adopt rules under section 1531.10 of the Revised Code providing for the issuance of a one-day fishing license to a resident of this state or of any other state. A one-day fishing license shall allow the holder to take or catch fish by angling in the waters in the state, engage in fishing in those waters, or take or catch frogs or turtles in those waters for one day without obtaining an annual license or a tourist's license under this section. At the request of a holder of a one-day fishing license who wishes to obtain an annual license, a clerk or agent authorized to issue licenses under section 1533.13 of the Revised Code, not later than the last day on which the one-day license would be valid if it were an annual license, shall credit the amount of the fee paid for the one-day license toward the fee charged for the annual license if so authorized by the chief. The clerk or agent shall issue the annual license upon presentation of the one-day license and payment of a fee in an amount equal to the difference between the fee for the annual license and the fee for the one-day license.

(3) Unless otherwise provided by division rule, each annual license shall begin on the date of issuance and expire a year from the date of issuance.

(4) Unless otherwise provided by division rule, each multi-year license issued in accordance with section 1533.321 of the Revised Code shall begin on the date of issuance and expire three years, five years, or ten years from the date of issuance, as applicable.

(5) No person shall alter a fishing license or possess a fishing license that has been altered.

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

(7) A resident of this state who owns land over, through, upon, or along which any water flows or stands, except where the land is in or borders on state parks or state-owned lakes, together with the members of the immediate families of such owners, may take frogs and turtles and may take or catch fish of the kind permitted to be taken or caught therefrom without procuring a license provided for in this section. This exemption extends to tenants actually residing upon such lands and to the members of the immediate families of the tenants. A resident of any other state who owns land in this state over, through, upon, or along which any water flows or stands, except where the land is in or borders on state parks or state-owned lakes, and the spouse and children living with the owner, may take frogs and turtles and may take or catch fish of the kind permitted to be taken or caught from that water without obtaining a license under this section, provided that the state of residence of the owner allows residents of this state owning real property in that state, and the spouse and children living with such a property owner, to take frogs and turtles and take or catch fish without a license. If the owner of such 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 may take frogs and turtles and may take or catch fish of the kind permitted to be taken or caught therefrom without procuring a license provided for in this section. In addition, if the owner of such 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 may take frogs and turtles and may take or catch fish of the kind permitted to be taken or caught therefrom without procuring a license provided for in this section. Residents of state or county institutions, charitable institutions, and military homes in this state may take frogs and turtles without procuring the required license, provided that a member of the institution or home has an identification card, which shall be carried on that person when fishing.

(8) Every fisher required to be licensed, while fishing or taking or attempting to take frogs or turtles, shall carry the license and exhibit it to any person. Failure to so carry and exhibit the license constitutes an offense under this section.

Last updated April 8, 2021 at 3:02 PM

Section 1533.321 | Multi-year or lifetime hunting and fishing licenses.

• Effective: September 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly

(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:

Senior 3-year fishing license	$26.00
Senior 5-year fishing license	$43.34
Senior lifetime fishing license	$81.00
3-year fishing license	$69.34
5-year fishing license	$115.56
10-year fishing license	$231.12
Lifetime fishing license	$576.00
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 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:

Senior 3-year hunting license	$26.00
Senior 5-year hunting license	$43.34
Senior lifetime hunting license	$81.00
Youth 3-year hunting license	$26.00
Youth 5-year hunting license	$43.34
Youth 10-year hunting license	$86.67
Youth lifetime hunting license	$414.00
3-year hunting license	$52.00
5-year hunting license	$86.75
10-year hunting license	$173.34
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 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.

Last updated December 7, 2021 at 12:10 PM

Section 1533.322 | Exemption from fishing license requirement.

• Effective: September 5, 1957
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 166 - 102nd General Assembly

Any person who is duly licensed by any state, district, country, or sovereignty other than this state to take or catch fish by angling shall be exempt from the provisions of sections 1533.32 and 1533.99 of the Revised Code, provided such person has complied with the law in regard to taking or catching fish by angling in the state, district, country, or sovereignty where he is licensed and complies with such law while taking or catching fish by angling in this state. Such exemption shall be operative only if the law of such other state, district, country, or sovereignty makes substantially like and equal exemptions to persons duly licensed by this state to take or catch fish by angling.

Reciprocal agreements between this and any other state, district, country, or sovereignty necessary to administer this section shall be made as provided in section 1533.323 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.323 | Reciprocity.

• Effective: June 4, 1968
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 460 - 107th General Assembly

The attorney general, the chief of the division of wildlife and the director of natural resources may enter into any reciprocal contracts and agreements with the proper authorities of other states as are proper and expedient to regulate the taking or catching of fish by angling in any of the waters of this state and the taking and hunting of game of this state by residents of such other states who are licensed under the law thereof.

Said state officials may also confer and advise with the proper officers and legislative bodies of this and other states, and the District of Columbia, for the purpose of promoting reciprocal agreements under which hunting and fishing licenses issued to residents of this state shall be recognized by such other states and federal districts.

Section 1533.324 | Prohibition against taking or selling mussels.

• Effective: February 25, 1998
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 203 - 122nd General Assembly

No person shall take mussels or sell mussels taken in this state.

Section 1533.33 | Fishing license fees.

• Effective: December 19, 1986
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1053 - 116th General Assembly

All moneys derived from fishing licenses issued pursuant to section 1533.32 of the Revised Code shall be appropriated exclusively for the use of the department of natural resources for the following purposes:

(A) For the purchase, protection, propagation, preservation, and stocking of fish;

(B) For the construction of fish chutes and dams;

(C) For the securing of more public fishing waters including leasing, purchasing, or otherwise acquiring stream banks, bottoms, and marginal strips, headwaters and other lakes, ponds, quarries, gravel pits, and other suitable public fishing grounds with marginal strips as provided in section 1531.06 of the Revised Code;

(D) For the improvement of streams, lakes, and ponds, including food, cover, breeding conditions, erosion, and reforestation;

(E) For the cooperation with other agencies as provided in section 1501.02 of the Revised Code, to assist in stabilizing water levels and in controlling ditching, dredging, straightening, debrushing, the removal of aquatic vegetation in streams, and to assist in other proper land and water use problems to control stream, lake, and pond turbidities;

(F) For other practical fish management work including biological investigations and printing the summarized fishing laws, the fish and game lawbook, conservation bulletins, and practical fish management leaflets, pamphlets, and books;

(G) For promoting educational and research activities, other methods of fish propagation and fish culture, and other proper conservation activities;

(H) For use as provided in sections 1531.05, 1531.12, 1531.13, 1531.27, 1531.28, and 1533.67 of the Revised Code.

No funds derived from fishing licenses shall be spent for other than fishing purposes as defined in this section. Not more than twenty-five per cent of such moneys shall be used for the payment of administration or other overhead expenses of the division of wildlife and the wildlife council, and the remaining seventy-five per cent shall be used exclusively for the purchase, protection, propagation, preservation, stocking of fish, and for the purposes listed in this section.

Section 1533.34 | License to use boat, net, or device for fishing.

• Effective: October 10, 2007
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 77 - 127th General Assembly

No person shall use or operate, for the purpose of taking fish, a boat, net, or device other than a minnow net or hook and line with bait or lure, in any of the waters of the state wherein fishing with nets is licensed by law, without a license for that gear from the chief of the division of wildlife. The application for a license and all licenses required by section 1533.35 of the Revised Code shall be in such form as the chief prescribes.

When a person applies to the chief for a license, the chief may issue the license if the person satisfies the qualifications established in division (C) of section 1533.342 of the Revised Code and the chief receives the proper fees. Upon proof of violation of this section, the chief may refuse to issue or renew any license. A license shall remain in force and entitle the holder thereof to fish as permitted by law from the date of issuance to and including the last day of the season for which the license was issued. The license shall be carried by the operator of a boat, net, or other device while the boat, net, or other device is being used in fishing and shall be exhibited on demand to any wildlife officer, constable, sheriff, deputy sheriff, or other police officer, or the chief. No licensee shall fail to exhibit the license on demand to any proper officer. Each boat, net, or other device used in fishing contrary to this section and each net or other device used or operated without having the metal license tag attached thereto as provided by law constitutes a separate offense.

Nonresident commercial fishers and their fishing gear shall not be licensed to fish in this state unless a reciprocal agreement is in force. A resident who purchases commercial fishing gear from out of state, or purchases a boat that has been registered less than a year in the state, shall give bona fide evidence of ownership of at least fifty-one per cent of the boat or gear whenever requested to do so by the chief or the chief's designated representative.

No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or division rules adopted pursuant thereto.

Section 1533.341 | Quota management system.

• Effective: October 10, 2007
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 77 - 127th General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife with the approval of the wildlife council, in managing the Lake Erie fishery resources, may utilize and establish by division rule a quota management system that shall consist of determining on a scientific basis by species and number or pounds the maximum allowable annual taking of those fishery resources or part thereof in order to prevent over exploitation of any species and assure the conservation and wise use of all species, and the determination on an equitable basis of the distribution of that maximum allowable annual taking between and within the sport and commercial fisheries.

The chief and the council, in determining and establishing the apportionment of the maximum allowable annual taking of a species between the sport and commercial fisheries, shall be guided by pertinent scientific, economic, and social data.

The chief and the council, in determining the distribution of the apportionment within the commercial fishery, shall consider pertinent scientific, economic, and social data.

No person shall fail to comply with any quota set pursuant to this section, other provisions of this section, or division rule adopted pursuant thereto.

No person who holds a commercial fishing license issued under section 1533.35 of the Revised Code and who uses trap nets shall harvest a quantity of yellow perch that is in excess of the amount of yellow perch that is allocated for the person's commercial fishing license in accordance with the quota set pursuant to this section. In addition, no person who holds a commercial fishing license and no employee of such a person shall possess at the same time on a boat on the waters of Lake Erie any yellow perch that have been taken from more than one statistical district established under division rule for the purpose of implementing the quota set pursuant to this section.

Section 1533.342 | Commercial fishing licenses.

• Effective: October 9, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 263 - 133rd General Assembly

(A) The chief of the division of wildlife, with the approval of the wildlife council, may limit the type and number of commercial fishing licenses to be issued for fishing in the Lake Erie fishing district and other water wherein nets are licensed by law, except that such limitations shall not prohibit any person who was issued an Ohio commercial fishing license in the prior fishing season from being issued, upon satisfaction of the qualifications established in division (C) of this section and proper application, a license of the same type for the current fishing season unless the issuance of such a license is prohibited by this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or division rule.

In limiting the number and type of licenses, the chief and the council shall give consideration to the number and type of licenses needed to harvest the fish determined to be harvestable; the capacity of the boats and characteristics of the equipment owned or used by the applicant; and any other facts or data relating to the protection, preservation, management, and utilization of fish species in a biologically sound manner.

(B) The chief, in prescribing forms for license applications, may require the applicant to list information relating to the kind and condition of boats and fishing equipment proposed to be used by the applicant, port or ports of entry, years of commercial fishing experience, quantity and kinds of fish taken during the previous five years, conviction records relating to Chapter 1531. and this chapter of the Revised Code and division rules, and any other facts the chief determines necessary to assist the chief in determining whether or not the applicant may engage in commercial fishing in accordance with those chapters and division rules. All questions shall be answered fully and completely by the applicant. The application shall be sworn to and signed by the applicant before a person authorized to administer oaths.

(C) Any person, prior to making application for an Ohio commercial fishing license, first shall satisfy the following qualifications to the satisfaction of the chief: over eighteen years of age; no prior conviction of or plea of guilty on or after October 10, 2007, to a disqualifying offense as determined in accordance with section 9.79 of the Revised Code; ninety days Ohio residency immediately preceding application; two years commercial fishing gear experience or holder of an Ohio commercial license of another gear; and posting of a one thousand dollar performance bond or cash deposit in a like amount. In the event the person does not meet these pre-application qualifications or does meet those qualifications, but a license is not granted, the bond or cash deposit immediately shall be returned by the division. In the event the person is granted a license, the bond or cash deposit shall be held by the division during the term of the license.

(D) In determining the terms and conditions of any commercial fishing license, the chief, with the approval of the wildlife council, may do both of the following:

(1) Fix by species, the weight, number, or size of fish to be taken;

(2) Specify the home port and up to two alternate ports at which the licensee shall land the licensee's catch, as listed on the licensee's application.

(E) Any wildlife officer, or other division employee designated by the chief to inspect commercial fishing operations, may enter upon any property used, owned, or leased by the holder of a commercial fishing license and may inspect any boat, net, seine, or other equipment used in commercial fishing; any building or premises used to hold, store, repair, or build commercial fishing gear or equipment; and any building or premises used in boxing, storing, or processing fish. No person shall assault, threaten, abuse, or interfere with any wildlife officer or designated inspector when carrying out an inspection under authority of this section, nor shall any person prohibit such an inspection.

(F) No person shall fail to comply with this section or a division rule adopted pursuant thereto.

(G) No person having been issued a commercial fishing license shall fail to comply with all terms, specifications, and conditions set forth in the license.

(H)(1) In addition to other penalties provided in the Revised Code, the license of any person who is convicted of assaulting, threatening, abusing, or interfering with any person inspecting by authority of this section is suspended upon such conviction by operation of law for a period of eighteen fishing season months immediately following that conviction.

(2) In addition to other penalties provided in the Revised Code, the license of any person who is convicted of two violations of provisions of this section relating to inspection or terms and conditions of any commercial fishing license that occurred within a twelve-month period is suspended upon the second such conviction by operation of law for a period of sixty fishing season days immediately following that conviction.

(3) In addition to other penalties provided in the Revised Code, the license of any person who is convicted of three or more violations of provisions of this section relating to inspection or terms and conditions of any commercial fishing licenses that occurred within a twelve-month period is suspended upon the third or subsequent such conviction by operation of law for a period of eighteen fishing season months immediately following that conviction.

(I) During any period of suspension, no person shall use or engage in fishing with commercial gear owned, used, or controlled at the time of conviction by the licensee whose license has been suspended.

Last updated October 9, 2021 at 5:19 AM

Section 1533.343 | Vessel and catch monitoring devices required.

• Effective: October 10, 2007
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 77 - 127th General Assembly

On and after March 1, 2008, no commercial fishing licensee shall use or engage in fishing with commercial gear unless the licensee uses vessel and catch monitoring devices in accordance with requirements and procedures established by the chief of the division of wildlife. The chief shall establish requirements and procedures concerning vessel and catch monitoring devices by division rule. A licensee shall pay the costs of purchasing, installing, and maintaining the devices.

Section 1533.35 | Commercial fishing device annual license fee.

• Effective: October 10, 2007
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 77 - 127th General Assembly

(A) Commercial fishing devices shall be annually licensed as follows:

(1) Trap and fyke nets, for the first twenty nets or any portion thereof, eight hundred dollars; and for each additional group of ten such nets or any portion thereof, four hundred dollars;

(2) For each seine of one hundred fifty rods or less in length other than an inland fishing district seine, four hundred dollars;

(3) For each seine over one hundred fifty rods in length other than an inland fishing district seine, six hundred dollars;

(4) For each inland fishing district seine, one hundred dollars;

(5) For each carp apron, one hundred dollars;

(6) For one trotline with seventy hooks or less attached thereto, twenty dollars;

(7) For each trotline, or trotlines, with a total of more than seventy hooks attached thereto, one hundred dollars.

The license fee for other commercial fishing gear not mentioned in this section, as approved by the chief of the division of wildlife, shall be set by the chief with approval of the wildlife council.

Commercial fishing gear owned or used by a nonresident may be licensed in this state only if a reciprocal agreement is in effect as provided for in section 1533.352 of the Revised Code.

All commercial license fees shall be paid upon application or shall be paid one-fourth upon application with the balance due and owing within ninety days of the date of application, except that those license fees of one hundred dollars or less shall be paid in full at the time of application.

(B) Royalty fees are hereby established on the following species of fish when taken commercially: catfish, white bass, and yellow perch.

The amount of the royalty fees shall be as follows: on the species taken for which an allowable catch or quota has been established by division rule, five cents per pound. On the species taken for which an allowable catch or quota has not been established by division rule, two cents per pound.

All royalty fees established or provided for in this section shall be paid by the license holder to the division. No person may be issued a commercial fishing license until all royalty fees due from that person for the preceding fishing season have been paid in full. The chief may request the attorney general to recover any royalty fee or amount thereof that is not paid by the opening date of the next fishing season, and the attorney general shall commence appropriate legal proceedings to recover the unpaid fee or amount.

All commercial fishing license moneys and all other fees collected from commercial fishers shall be deposited in the state treasury in accordance with section 1533.33 of the Revised Code.

No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or a division rule adopted pursuant to it.

Section 1533.351 | Experimental fishing device annual license fee.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, the chief of the division of wildlife may issue annual licenses for experimental fishing devices or fishing devices for experimental purposes. Each license shall be conditioned as prescribed by the chief and may be revoked at any time for violation of the conditions prescribed. The annual license fee for each such device shall be set by the chief with the approval of the wildlife council and shall expire at midnight on the thirty-first day of December of each year. Mesh sizes, size of nets, and fishing seasons prescribed in division rules and in this chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code do not apply to devices licensed under this section.

Section 1533.352 | Reciprocity.

• Effective: September 27, 1974
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 532 - 110th General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife may, with the approval of the wildlife council and the attorney general, enter into agreements with the appropriate officials of one or more states, whereby the chief will issue nonresident commercial fishing licenses to residents of other party states for the fees charged Ohio residents, and Ohio residents may obtain nonresident commercial fishing licenses in other party states for the fees that are charged residents of such states.

Section 1533.36 | Fishing license not transferable - exception.

• Effective: October 10, 2007
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 77 - 127th General Assembly

(A) No fishing license issued pursuant to section 1533.32 of the Revised Code is transferable, and no fisher shall carry a license that was issued in the name of another person or that does not contain the signature of the agent issuing it.

(B) Notwithstanding any other provision in the Revised Code and except as otherwise provided by division rule, a licensee holding a commercial fishing license issued pursuant to section 1533.35 of the Revised Code may transfer that license to a person holding a license issued under that section or to a person meeting the qualifications set forth in section 1533.342 of the Revised Code. Such a transfer is subject to all of the following conditions:

(1) The transferred license shall not be sold, offered for sale, or bartered to any person.

(2) The chief of the division of wildlife, with the approval of the director of natural resources, shall determine if any quota species of fish are transferable with the transferred license. In making the determination, the chief shall use biological, social, and economic data.

(3) The transferred license is limited to the type of commercial fishing gear for which the original license was issued.

(4) The transfer does not affect any other commercial fishing license privilege possessed by the transferor.

(5) Application for the transfer may be made at any time and shall be made simultaneously by the transferor and transferee on forms provided by the division of wildlife.

(6) When a commercial fishing license is transferred during the open commercial fishing season, the transferee may be issued a license only upon receipt by the division of payment in an amount equal to the annual fees set forth in section 1533.35 of the Revised Code for the type of commercial fishing gear to be transferred plus any unpaid fees that have not been paid by the transferor at the time of transfer. The division shall not refund fees previously paid by a transferor.

(7) A commercial fishing license shall be transferred only upon payment to the division of the royalty fees imposed by section 1533.35 of the Revised Code that have accrued to the date of transfer. Royalty fees that accrue with regard to the license on or after the date of transfer are solely the responsibility of the transferee.

(8) A commercial fishing license may be transferred at any time, but it shall not be transferred if the license is suspended at the time transfer is sought, or if the licensee has been charged with a violation that could result in license suspension.

(9) After determining that the transfer of a commercial fishing license is proper, the chief shall effect the transfer by revocation of the license of the transferor and simultaneous issuance of the appropriate license to the transferee.

Section 1533.37 | Methods of taking fish.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

Fish shall be taken only by angling unless otherwise provided by the Revised Code or division rule. If a fish is unintentionally taken contrary to the Revised Code or division rule, it immediately shall be liberated and returned to the water without unnecessary injury.

Section 1533.40 | Permit to buy, sell or deal in minnows, crawfish or hellgrammites.

• Effective: September 26, 2003
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 95 - 125th General Assembly

Each person, firm, partnership, association, or corporation that buys, sells, or deals in minnows, crayfish, or hellgrammites or collects the listed species for sale shall obtain, annually, from the chief of the division of wildlife a permit and shall operate under such rules as the chief adopts. A permit shall be issued upon application and the payment of a fee of forty dollars. This permit expires at midnight on the thirty-first day of December. Nonresidents engaging in the collecting, seining, or picking of minnows, crayfish, or hellgrammites for bait shall have a nonresident fishing license as prescribed in section 1533.32 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.41 | Fishing season for Lake Erie and other waters.

• Effective: April 20, 2000
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 241 - 123rd General Assembly

For the Lake Erie fishing district, and in such other waters wherein fishing with nets is licensed by law, there shall be not more than two fishing seasons for residents and nonresidents. Except as otherwise provided by division rule, those seasons are the spring fishing season, beginning on the first day of May and including and closing on the thirty-first day of August, and the fall fishing season, beginning on the first day of September and including and closing on the thirty-first day of December.

No person shall draw, set, place, locate, or maintain any fish net whatever except a minnow net in the Lake Erie fishing district, or in any other waters of this state wherein fishing with nets is licensed by law, between the first day of January and the first day of May next following, both dates inclusive, except as otherwise provided by division rule.

No person shall draw, set, place, locate, use, maintain, or possess a gill net in this state except as provided in section 1533.61 of the Revised Code.

In addition to any other penalty provided in the Revised Code, the license or permit of any person who is convicted of a violation relating to drawing, setting, placing, using, maintaining, or possessing a gill net is revoked by operation of law, and the person is permanently barred from obtaining another license or permit of the type revoked.

Section 1533.42 | Licensee shall keep report for each day's catch.

• Effective: October 10, 2007
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 77 - 127th General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, every licensee taking fish with commercial fishing gear, except a trotline of seventy hooks or less, in any of the waters mentioned in this chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or division rule, shall keep accurate reports for each day's catch upon forms provided, and in the manner prescribed, by the chief of the division of wildlife. The reports shall be open for inspection by a wildlife officer at all reasonable hours.

Every commercial fishing licensee shall keep an accurate record of each day's catch as prescribed upon a daily report form. The report shall include at least the number of pounds of each kind of fish taken, the grid fished, the kind and amount of fishing gear lifted, the number of lifts, and any other data the biologists employed by the division of wildlife require in following the trend of the fisheries. The licensee shall report each day, under oath when requested to do so, those data to the chief.

The daily catch data shall be recorded accurately in a manner and on a form prescribed by the chief in division rule.

A licensee shall contact the chief or the chief's designee when the licensee is in transit to the licensee's trap nets to lift, move, pull, remove, clean, or maintain the trap nets for any reason and also shall contact the chief or the chief's designee when returning to land with a daily catch of fish from a trap net indicating the licensee's estimated time of arrival at a specific port and any other information required by the chief. The licensee shall contact the chief or the chief's designee by using a cellular telephone, radio, or other communication device in a manner prescribed by the chief.

No person shall fail to comply with any report procedure provided for in this section, other provisions of this section, or division rule adopted pursuant thereto.

Section 1533.43 | License tag to be attached to each fishing device.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, the chief of the division of wildlife, each fishing season, shall issue a license tag for each dip net, carp apron, and seine, except a minnow seine, used to take fish in the Lake Erie fishing district and in such other waters wherein fishing with nets or seines is licensed by law. No person shall use such nets in fishing without attaching a license tag thereto, as provided in this section.

On each seine, the tag shall be attached on either brail, and on each dip net, the tag shall be attached to the rim line of the net. On each carp apron, the tag shall be attached to either end of the line running across the top of the net. Each tag shall be attached in such a manner that the number thereon can be read easily, and the number shall not be defaced by paint or any other substance or in any manner. If such tags are not attached to such nets in the manner provided in this section, it is prima-facie evidence that they have not been lawfully licensed. Each net without the tag prescribed in this section constitutes a separate offense and is a public nuisance. Such an untagged fishing device, or parts thereof, is unlawful under this section and shall be seized and held for evidence or for forfeiture proceedings.

No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or division rule adopted pursuant thereto.

Section 1533.431 | Numbering and locating trap or fyke nets.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, every person using trap or fyke nets in taking fish in the Lake Erie fishing district, each fishing year, shall number each net starting with numerical one and continuing in consecutive order as high as the number of nets licensed by the person in that fishing year. No person shall use the same number more than once. The numbers shall be placed and kept upon the orange uphaul buoy attached to each net. The number shall be at least two inches high and maintained in legible condition at all times. If at any time an uphaul buoy is intentionally or accidentally detached from a net while it is in the water, the same buoy, or if the original one is lost another buoy with the required information placed upon it, immediately shall be attached to the net.

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, every person using trap or fyke nets to take fish in the Lake Erie fishing district shall notify the division of wildlife in writing of the location, date, and numerical number of each net placed in or removed from such waters. The notification shall show by grid number, taken from the grid chart furnished by the division, the location of the net at the time of its removal or placement. The written notification shall be mailed in time for the postmark to show a date of no later than the day after the day in which the net is removed or placed.

No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or division rule adopted pursuant to it.

Section 1533.44 | Fishing devices shall be marked with owner's or operator's name.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, no person shall use in fishing in the Lake Erie fishing district and other waters wherein nets are licensed by law any trap net, crib net, fyke net, seine, carp apron, live car, or trotline without having painted, branded, stamped, or burned thereon, in legible letters not less than one inch in height and maintained in legible condition at all times, the name of the owner or person operating the net or other device. On trotlines, the name shall be located on tally buoys at each end of each trotline. On trap nets, crib nets, and fyke nets, the name shall be located on the uphaul buoy of any net set singly or of the first and last net of any string of nets. On dip nets, the name shall be located on the lifting pole. On seines, the name shall be located on either brail. On carp aprons, the name shall be located on a board or metal plate attached to either end of the line running across the top of the net. On live cars or other holding devices, except a pond used in holding live commercial species of fish, the name shall be located on the top of the live car or other holding device.

Each net, seine, carp apron, or string of nets not legibly marked as prescribed in this section constitutes a separate offense and is a public nuisance. Such an unmarked fishing device or parts thereof shall be seized and held for evidence or for forfeiture proceedings as provided in section 1531.20 of the Revised Code.

The chief of the division of wildlife may provide by division rule the manner in which any device used in commercial fishing and referred to in this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code shall be marked and the manner in which the marker shall be displayed. The chief may require that the devices be marked individually or in the aggregate and that the markers be displayed upon each device, at intervals, or in any other manner.

No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or division rule adopted pursuant thereto. No person shall remove, destroy, or tamper with any marker that is placed on a commercial fishing device in accordance with this section or any division rule adopted pursuant to it.

Section 1533.45 | Places where nets may not be used.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

No person shall lay out, pull, lift, draw, set, place, locate, or maintain any net or seine, except a minnow seine, on any of the reefs of the Lake Erie fishing district, except by permission of the chief of the division of wildlife, or lay out, pull, lift, draw, set, place, locate, or maintain any net or seine in any channel or passage lying between any islands or between any island and the mainland in Lake Erie at a greater distance from the shore of the islands or mainland than one-fourth the distance across the channel or passage. No person shall lay out, pull, lift, draw, set, place, locate, or maintain any net or seine, except a minnow seine, in any other area of Lake Erie where that activity is prohibited by the chief in rules adopted for the purposes of this section. The chief shall adopt rules under section 1531.10 of the Revised Code establishing no-fishing zones throughout the Ohio waters of the Lake Erie fishing district.

No net shall be set in less than three feet of water in either of the fishing districts of the state except seines and minnow seines. The division may establish in Sandusky bay, with the consent of the coast guard, any buoys or markers that are necessary for information to the public or as aids to navigation, but nothing in this section shall be construed as permitting the division to place any buoys or markers that will in any way interfere with the use, laying out, or pulling of seines in any part of Sandusky bay as permitted pursuant to this section.

Section 1533.46 | Splashing to drive fish into nets prohibited.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

No fish shall be driven into any net or device by "plunging," "splashing," "hammering," or by any noise or other disturbances in or out of the water for such purpose in either of the fishing districts of the state.

Section 1533.48 | Trotlines.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, two types of trotlines may be used in the Lake Erie fishing district. One type shall be one line of not more than seventy single hooks attached thereto, and the second type shall have over seventy single hooks attached to any number of lines. No person shall use in the Lake Erie fishing district a trotline other than those described in this section.

No person shall set, maintain, bait, pull, or remove fish from a trotline having seventy hooks or less attached thereto which does not have all red buoys or floats.

No person shall set, maintain, bait, or remove fish from a trotline or trotlines with more than seventy hooks attached thereto that do not have all white buoys or floats.

No person shall set, maintain, bait, pull, or remove fish from a trotline in the Lake Erie fishing district that is wholly or partly made of wire line, does not have floats or buoys made of non-shatterable material, does not have the licensee's name on the end buoys or floats, can be removed from the water by pulling from shore, or is set on a reef.

No person shall set, bait, pull, or remove fish from a trotline in the Lake Erie fishing district during the time from one-half hour after sunset to one-half hour before sunrise. All fish taken from such a trotline shall be brought ashore during the time from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or division rule adopted pursuant thereto.

In addition to other penalties in the Revised Code, the license of any person who is convicted of two violations of this section that occurred within a twelve-month period is suspended upon the second such conviction by operation of law for a period of five fishing season days immediately following that conviction.

In addition to other penalties in the Revised Code, the license of any person who is convicted of three or more violations of this section that occurred within a twelve-month period is suspended upon the third or subsequent such conviction by operation of law for a period of twenty fishing season days immediately following that conviction.

During any period of suspension, no person shall use or engage in fishing with commercial gear owned, used, or controlled at the time of conviction by the licensee whose license has been suspended.

Section 1533.49 | Size of mesh and twine used in crib nets, trap nets, and fyke nets.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

The dimensions and specifications for nets provided in this section shall apply except as otherwise provided by division rule.

The meshes of the back of the crib or car of all crib nets, fyke nets, or trap nets used in fishing in this state shall be hung on a third so as to hang squarely, shall be made of twine not heavier than eighteen thread, and shall measure not less than two and five-eighths inches stretched mesh as found in use or possession, measured on the bar. The meshes shall extend from the top to the bottom of the crib or car of the nets. No person shall place a screen or apron of any kind over the two and five-eighths inches mesh which in any way will tend to obstruct the passage of fish through the meshes.

No person shall use a trap net, crib net, or fyke net without having a spreader bar in the back of the crib or car thereof and so placed that the meshes of the back of the crib or car will hang squarely.

No person shall bring a crib net, fyke net, or trap net ashore with the back of the lifting car removed.

No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or division rule adopted pursuant thereto.

Section 1533.50 | Carp apron use restrictions.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, no person shall use a carp apron except in marshes, or in connecting ditches dug especially for the purpose of draining or filling a marsh with water, that border the Lake Erie fishing district or border a stream or river flowing into that district in Lucas, Sandusky, Ottawa, and Erie counties.

No person shall use a carp apron except to take carp, suckers, sheepshead, goldfish, bowfin, and gizzard shad. Any other species of fish caught in a carp apron shall be released immediately, in as good a condition as possible, while the fish are being removed from the apron.

No carp apron shall be more than one hundred feet in length nor more than seventy-five feet in depth. No less than three and one-half inches stretched mesh shall be used in the apron.

No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or division rule adopted pursuant to it.

Section 1533.51 | Fishing guide license.

• Effective: December 29, 2023
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 131 - 134th General Assembly

(A) No person shall be or serve as a fishing guide in the Lake Erie fishing district without a license from the chief of the division of wildlife. The application for a license, and the license, shall be in such form as the chief prescribes.

(B) The chief, with the approval of the wildlife council, may establish the qualifications for such a license and the terms, conditions, and restrictions thereof. Such qualifications when applicable shall include that the applicant possesses a power boat operator's license from a department, agency, commission, or instrumentality of the United States.

(C) The chief shall issue a fishing guide license in accordance with Chapter 4796. of the Revised Code to an applicant if either of the following applies:

(1) The applicant holds a license in another state.

(2) The applicant has satisfactory work experience, a government certification, or a private certification as described in that chapter as a fishing guide in a state that does not issue that license.

(D) Fishing guide licenses shall expire each year on the fifteenth day of April. Such a license shall be carried on the person or the person in command of the boat or person in charge when such service is being performed, and shall be exhibited upon demand to any wildlife officer or other law enforcement officer who has authority to enforce the wildlife, hunting, and fishing laws.

(E) The license fee for a fishing guide license is fifty dollars per person.

(F) The license fee for other services or devices, as approved by the chief, not mentioned in this section shall be an amount set by the chief with the approval of the wildlife council, not to exceed twenty-five dollars.

(G) All license fees collected from fishing guides shall be deposited in the state treasury pursuant to section 1533.33 of the Revised Code.

(H) No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or division rule adopted pursuant to it.

Last updated December 29, 2023 at 7:21 AM

Section 1533.511 | Fishing guide daily record.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, every fishing guide who furnishes services that result in the taking of fish from the Lake Erie fishing district shall keep an accurate daily record of all fish caught upon monthly report forms, provided by and in the manner prescribed by the chief of the division of wildlife. The catch data shall be recorded on the respective date upon the monthly report no later than twelve noon on the day following the day in which the fish were taken and shall include the number of fishermen, hours fished, locality fished, numbers or pounds of each kind of fish taken, and such other data as the chief requires. Every licensee shall submit such a completed monthly report form to the division of wildlife within fifteen days after the end of the calendar month in which the fishing guide service is provided regardless of whether the service is discontinued for one or more months. If the service is so discontinued, the licensee shall state that fact. The report form shall be open to inspection to any employee of the division at all reasonable hours.

No person shall fail to comply with any report procedure provided for in this section, other provision of this section, or division rule adopted pursuant thereto.

In addition to other penalties provided in the Revised Code, the license of any person who is convicted of two violations of this section that occurred within a twelve-month period is suspended upon the second such conviction by operation of law for a period of five fishing season days immediately following that conviction.

In addition to other penalties provided in the Revised Code, the license of any person who is convicted of three or more violations of this section that occurred within a twelve-month period is suspended upon the third or subsequent such conviction by operation of law for a period of twenty fishing season days immediately following that conviction.

During any period of suspension, no person shall use or engage in fishing for hire with gear owned, used, or controlled at the time of conviction by the licensee whose license has been suspended.

Section 1533.52 | Method of measuring nets.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

Except as provided by division rule, the size of the mesh of all nets, seines, and carp apron, except dip nets or minnow nets, possessed in this state or used in fishing in any of the waters of this state wherein fishing with nets is licensed by law shall be determined by measuring the mesh on the bar, by exerting not more than a two pound strain on four consecutive bars and measuring these four bars while that strain is on them from the inside edge of the knot on one end of this series of bars to the outside edge of the knot on the other end. One-half the length of the four bars so measured shall be deemed to be the length of one collapsed stretched mesh of that part of the net being measured. The weight to be used in measuring the bars of meshes of nets shall be tested, approved, and certified by the department of agriculture, or other governmental entity authorized to so certify, and authorized by the chief of the division of wildlife.

Section 1533.54 | Methods of fishing.

• Effective: September 26, 2003
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 95 - 125th General Assembly

No person shall draw, set, place, locate, maintain, or possess a pound net, crib net, trammel net, fyke net, set net, seine, bar net, or fish trap, or any part thereof, or throw or hand line, with more than three hooks attached thereto, or any other device for catching fish, except a line with not more than three hooks attached thereto or lure with not more than three sets of three hooks each, in the inland fishing district of this state, except for taking carp, mullet, sheepshead, and grass pike as provided in section 1533.62 of the Revised Code, and except as provided in section 1533.60 of the Revised Code, or as otherwise provided for by division rule. No person shall catch or kill a fish in that fishing district with what are known as bob lines, trotlines, or float lines, or by grabbing with the hands, or by spearing or shooting, or with any other device other than by angling. In the waters of the inland fishing district, except those lakes, harbors, and reservoirs controlled by the state, a trotline may be used with not more than fifty hooks, and no two hooks less than three feet apart, by the owner or person having the owner's consent in that part of the stream bordering on or running through that owner's lands.

Notwithstanding this section, any resident who is licensed to fish with nets in the Ohio river may possess fish nets for the sole purpose of storage, repair, drying, and tarring in the area between United States route fifty and the Ohio river from the Indiana state line to Cincinnati, Ohio, and in the area between United States route fifty-two and the Ohio river from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Chesapeake, Ohio, and in the area between state route seven and the Ohio river from Chesapeake, Ohio, to East Liverpool, Ohio.

Any person possessing a net in this reserve district shall have an Ohio permit for each net in the person's possession. The permit shall be issued annually by the chief of the division of wildlife upon application of the owner of the net and submission of evidence by the owner of possession of a valid fishing license permitting the owner to fish with nets in the Ohio river, and the payment of fifty dollars for each net for which an application is made and a permit is issued. The permit shall expire at twelve midnight on the fifteenth day of March of each year.

Section 1533.55 | Placement and maintenance of nets and other fishing devices in Lake Erie.

• Effective: April 20, 2000
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 241 - 123rd General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, no person shall draw, set, place, locate, or maintain any net, except a seine, within one-fourth of a mile of any reef in Lake Erie between the first day of May and the tenth day of May, both dates inclusive, and within one-fourth mile of any island or the mainland bordering Lake Erie between the fifteenth day of June and the fifteenth day of September, both dates inclusive. No seine or net of any kind except a minnow net shall be placed, located, pulled, or maintained in Sandusky bay from one hour after sunset on Saturday until one hour before sunrise on the following Monday, or from one hour before sunset on the day before Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day until one hour before sunrise on the day following Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. No seine shall be set, placed, located, or maintained in Sandusky bay and the inland fishing district during the nighttime from one hour after sunset until one hour before sunrise. No person shall place, set, locate, pull, or maintain a seine, except a minnow seine, in the Lake Erie fishing district during the time from one-half hour after sunset until one-half hour before sunrise, except that a licensee may place, set, locate, pull, or maintain a seine other than a minnow seine in any waters of the Lake Erie fishing district other than Sandusky bay at those times, upon prior notification to the chief of the division of wildlife, or the chief's designated agent, during not more than one week per notification. The notification shall be in writing and shall state the licensee's name and address, date and time of fishing, and location of fishing grounds.

No trap net, crib net, fyke net, or other fishing devices, except a seine which has been authorized to be hauled during the nighttime, shall be lifted, pulled, hauled, or set, nor shall fish be removed therefrom, except during the time from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset. Each net or other device set, maintained, placed, pulled, lifted, or hauled in violation of this section constitutes a separate offense.

All fish taken from a net or other fishing device, except a seine that has been authorized to be hauled during the nighttime, shall be brought ashore during the time from one-half hour before sunrise to one-half hour after sunset.

The chief may adopt rules under section 1531.10 of the Revised Code providing that no person shall lay out, pull, lift, draw, set, place, locate, or maintain any net or seine at any other place or places in the Lake Erie fishing district and in other waters wherein fishing with nets or seines is licensed by law wherein such a prohibition is needed for the protection, preservation, or propagation of fish.

No person shall leave a commercial fishing device in a slack manner, or torn parts thereof, in the waters of the Lake Erie fishing district for more than five consecutive days. For the purposes of this section, a fishing device is slack when the anchors to various parts of the device are not holding it in the normal extended manner.

No person shall set or use a net, trotline, or other fishing device, except a trap net or fyke net, in the Lake Erie fishing district without removing all of the fish therefrom at least once during a period of five consecutive days. A trap or fyke net shall have all of the fish removed from the crib or car at least once during such time.

Any net, gill net, or other fishing device set, lifted, pulled, hauled, or used in violation of this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or division rule is a public nuisance and each wildlife officer, or other officer with like authority, may seize and safely keep such a fishing device or part thereof, and the illegal results therefrom, for evidence or forfeiture proceedings unless otherwise ordered by the chief.

No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or division rule adopted pursuant to it.

In addition to other penalties provided in the Revised Code, the license of any person who is convicted of two violations of this section that occurred within a twelve-month period is suspended upon the second such conviction by operation of law for a period of five fishing season days immediately following that conviction.

In addition to other penalties provided in the Revised Code, the license of any person who is convicted of three or more violations of this section that occurred within a twelve-month period is suspended upon the third or subsequent such conviction by operation of law for a period of twenty fishing season days immediately following that conviction.

During any period of suspension, no person shall use or engage in fishing within commercial gear owned, used, or controlled at the time of conviction by the licensee whose license has been suspended.

Section 1533.56 | Daily records of fish processing.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, every person, in any county adjoining Lake Erie, who for consideration, hire, or resale, scales, fillets, dresses, or in any manner processes fish taken with other than commercial fishing gear shall maintain accurate daily records. Those records shall show the name and address of each owner or other person from whom the processor receives fish, the species, the weight of each species, and the date of receipt during the day. The name, address, species, weight, and date shall be recorded on monthly report forms provided by, and in the manner prescribed by, the chief of the division of wildlife. The processor shall keep each batch of fish he receives from one owner or other person separate and shall attach to the batch or its container a tag or label showing the name of that owner or other person and the weight of the fish until the information required to be recorded on the daily records is recorded as prescribed by law or division rule. The processor shall mail the monthly report form to the division on or before the fifteenth day of the month following the calendar month in which the fish were received by the processor. Any wildlife officer or law enforcement officer who has authority to enforce the wildlife, hunting, and fishing laws may enter the premises at any reasonable hour and inspect the records and premises.

No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or division rule adopted pursuant thereto.

Section 1533.57 | Minnows shall be taken only for bait.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

In the inland fishing district seining for minnows is prohibited from the first day of May to the fourteenth day of June, both inclusive, except in streams in which the average width of water at the time seined does not exceed twelve feet for a distance of fifty yards above and below the point seined. In such district no persons shall take, catch, buy, or sell minnows, except for bait, and the taking, transporting, or shipping of minnows out of the state is prohibited. In the inland fishing district no minnows shall be taken or caught except with a minnow seine not exceeding four feet in depth and eight feet in length. In the Lake Erie fishing district no minnows shall be taken with a minnow seine exceeding thirty feet in length. No person at any time in the inland fishing district shall have in his possession either alive or otherwise more than one hundred minnows, except persons, firms, associations, or corporations buying, selling, or dealing in bait. Such persons, firms, associations, or corporations must be licensed as provided in section 1533.40 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.58 | Prohibition against use of deleterious substances in waters of the state.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

No person shall take, catch, injure, or kill wild animals, or destroy the habitat thereof, in any waters of the state by means of quicklime, electricity, or any kind of explosive or poisonous substances, or place or use quicklime, electricity, or explosive or poisonous substances in any such waters, except for engineering purposes and with the written permission of the chief of the division of wildlife. Each wild animal taken, killed, or had in possession in violation of this section constitutes a separate offense.

Section 1533.59 | Prohibition against obstructing natural transit of fish.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

No person shall locate, place, or maintain in any of the waters over which the state has jurisdiction any obstruction to the natural transit of fish. The chief of the division of wildlife or any wildlife officer or other person may take up, remove, or clear away such obstructions, except milldams, and if the obstruction is a net or other device used for leading or catching fish, it may be seized and condemned, as provided in section 1531.20 of the Revised Code. This section does not apply to Lake Erie.

Section 1533.60 | Fish may be taken in overflows and private ponds.

• Effective: October 1, 1953
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 1 - 100th General Assembly

Fish may be taken in any manner in the ponds or lagoons formed by the receding waters of any river when such ponds or lagoons no longer have any connection with the channels of such streams.

Section 1533.61 | Certain nets, traps and other devices exempted.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

This chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code do not apply to any of the following:

(A) Nets, traps, or other devices for catching fish in the possession of the owner of a private artificial fish pond or privately owned lake for use only in that pond or lake;

(B) Fish nets, fish traps, or other devices for catching fish, not otherwise prohibited, to be used in catching fish in Lake Erie, or in those bays, marshes, estuaries, or inlets bordering on, flowing into, or in any manner connected with Lake Erie, wherein fishing with those devices is permitted when the fish nets, fish traps, or other devices are kept within one mile of the waters of the Lake Erie fishing district;

(C) Nets, gill nets, traps, or other devices in the possession of bona fide manufacturers or dealers when the nets, gill nets, traps, or other devices are kept in the regular places of business of those manufacturers or dealers, or are in course of transportation, or other devices in the possession of common carriers for transportation;

(D) Gill nets in the possession of a person who holds a currently valid wild animal collecting permit issued to him by the chief of the division of wildlife under section 1533.08 of the Revised Code and who is taking fish with a gill net in accordance with the permit.

Section 1533.62 | Locations where seine or net may be used.

• Effective: October 10, 2007
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 77 - 127th General Assembly

The dimensions and specifications for seines provided in this section shall apply except as otherwise provided by division rule.

Carp, buffalo fish, suckers, sheepshead, goldfish, bowfin, and gizzard shad may be taken with a seine only in the bays, marshes, estuaries, or inlets bordering upon, flowing into, or in any manner connected with Lake Erie, except in any of these waters that are in the Lake Erie fishing district where they may be taken with other nets as provided in this chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code. The meshes of one-third of each wing of such a seine, next to the brails, shall measure not less than five inches stretched mesh, and the meshes of the next one-third of each wing shall measure not less than four and one-half inches stretched mesh. The balance of the seine shall measure not less than four inches stretched mesh. All measurements shall be made on the bar as provided in section 1533.52 of the Revised Code. Such fish may be taken only with the seine prescribed in this section in the Ottawa river, no farther up than the Ann Arbor bridge; in the Maumee river, no farther up than the Toledo Cherry street bridge; in the Portage river and in Portage bay, no farther up than one-half mile west of the junction of the Portage and Little Portage rivers; in the Sandusky river, no farther up than an imaginary line running from the west point of Squaw island straight across Sandusky river to Teal Pond Point, thence straight south to the mainland; in Mud creek and in Mud creek bay, no farther up than an imaginary line running straight across Mud creek at a right angle with the course of the stream one-half mile west of the Mud Creek bridge on Port Clinton road; and in the Lacarpe creek, Little Portage river, Tousaint river, Turtle creek, Crane Creek, and Ward's canal, no farther up than the water level of Lake Erie extends in these streams. No person shall set and leave stationary a seine, net, or other device that will tend to interfere with the free movement of fish into or out of the mouth of any stream flowing into or in any manner connected with Lake Erie, wherein fishing with nets is permitted by law, or up or down any section of such streams. In the Lake Erie fishing district, a smaller mesh may be used in the bag of a seine, but such a small mesh bag shall not exceed three hundred fifty feet in length, of which two hundred feet shall be made of twine with meshes not less than three inches stretched mesh, fishing measure, measured on the bar as provided in section 1533.52 of the Revised Code.

No seine shall be used in fishing or had in possession in this state of a greater length than three hundred rods.

This section does not permit the use of any net in any stream flowing into Lake Erie east of the mouth of Sandusky bay, except a minnow net as provided in section 1533.57 of the Revised Code.

No person shall draw, set, place, locate, or maintain any net or seine except a minnow net in that portion of Sandusky bay or Lake Erie lying within the area starting at the northeast end of the Cedar Point jetty, thence on a line drawn straight from the northeast end of Cedar Point jetty to Shafer's dock on Marblehead, thence to the western extremity of Johnson's island, thence to the loading dock of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and back to the point of origin.

No person shall draw, set, place, locate, or maintain any net except a minnow net in that portion of Sandusky bay lying between Cedar Point and the mainland and east of an imaginary line running straight across Sandusky bay from the extreme west point of Cedar Point to the Baltimore and Ohio elevator dock.

No person shall fail to comply with any provisions of this section or division rule adopted pursuant thereto.

Section 1533.63 | Legal length and weight of certain fish.

• Effective: October 10, 2007
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 77 - 127th General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided by division rule, no person shall take, catch, buy, sell, transport, or possess a whitefish less than seventeen inches in length, a sturgeon less than forty-eight inches in length, a catfish less than fourteen and one-half inches in length, a yellow perch less than eight and one-half inches in length, a yellow perch fillet or part fillet of not less than five and five-eighths inches in length, a headless yellow perch less than six and seven-eighths inches in length, a white bass or white bass hybrid less than eleven inches in length, a headless white bass or white bass hybrid less than eight and three-fourths inches in length, a white bass or white bass hybrid fillet or part thereof less than six and one-half inches in length, a bullhead less than nine inches in length, or a cisco less than eleven inches in length. All such fish caught or taken of a weight or length less than that prescribed in this section or as may be provided by the chief of the division of wildlife immediately shall be released with as little injury as possible while the net, seine, trotline, dip net, or other fishing device is being lifted, pulled, or hauled.

No person shall release such undersized fish or species protected by this chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or division rule into a privately owned pond, lake, live car, or other enclosure. No person shall bring ashore, or possess aboard a boat used in commercial fishing, a fish with its head or tail removed or in such condition that its length, weight, or species cannot be determined.

This section does not prohibit the catching, taking, or possession of such undersized fish when caught or taken with hook and line, other than a commercially licensed trotline, but when such fish are so taken, they cannot be bought or sold. No person shall possess such undersized fish or a species of fish that is not permitted to be taken commercially aboard a boat when going to, while on, or when returning from nets or other devices used in commercial fishing.

No licensed commercial fishers, or person required to have a commercial fishing license under section 1533.34 of the Revised Code, shall take walleye, sauger, whitefish, mooneye, cisco, burbot, sturgeon, and blue pike; brook, brown, rainbow, and lake trout; coho, chinook, and kokanne salmon; or other species protected by this chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or division rule, from Lake Erie or its tributaries or possess such fish aboard a boat used in commercial fishing when going to or returning from nets or other fishing devices. All such fish caught or taken from a commercial fishing device immediately shall be released with as little injury as possible while the fishing device is being lifted, pulled, or hauled.

No person shall take, buy, sell, transport, cause to be transported, or possess a container, quantity, boat load, catch, or haul with more than ten per cent by weight of undersized fish or any other species either round, filleted, or headless mentioned in this section or division rule. The entire quantity of fish containing more than ten per cent by weight of undersized fish shall be confiscated along with its containers. No person shall buy, sell, offer for sale, transport, give away, barter, or possess a fish caught or taken out of season or in any manner prohibited or a fish caught or taken unlawfully from waters in or outside the state. All fish brought into the state from another state or country shall be subject to the laws of this state.

All fish taken or caught from Ohio waters shall be brought into an Ohio port for inspection. No person shall ship, carry, transport, or cause to be transported any fish taken or caught from Ohio waters directly to a point outside the state.

Walleye or sauger originating from outside of this state may be possessed for sale, bought, or sold subject to division rule.

No person shall trade, buy, sell, possess, or transport for sale walleye or sauger taken from waters in this state. In addition, no person shall take, possess, buy, sell, deliver, transport, ship, trade, or give away walleye or any part of a walleye, including roe, that is taken from the Ohio waters of Lake Erie or its tributaries and that is taken with the aid of a commercial fishing device.

Each person who holds a permit under section 1533.301 or 1533.631 of the Revised Code shall keep accurate written records in the English language of all sales and purchases of freshwater fish. The records shall include the name and address of the buyer and seller, the name of fish, the amount of fish in pounds, and the date of sale or purchase. Records for trout, bullhead, herring, whitefish, sauger, walleye, yellow perch, white bass, sturgeon, and channel catfish shall be kept on forms provided by the chief. In lieu of keeping the written records concerning sales of freshwater fish as required under this section, a permit holder, upon applying to and receiving the approval of the chief, may keep the sales information required under this section on normal business records, including, but not limited to, receipts and invoices. All records shall be maintained for at least one year and shall be open to inspection to all division of wildlife officers at all reasonable hours. A buyer who purchases fish for the buyer's own consumption shall not be required to keep records, and persons selling fish for personal consumption shall not be required to record the names and addresses of persons purchasing the fish.

No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or division rule adopted pursuant thereto.

As used in this section, "sale of fish" includes, but is not limited to, fish sold in the round or part thereof and fish sold as part of a meal or service, but does not include canned fish.

Section 1533.631 | Permit for handling fish at wholesale.

• Effective: October 9, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 263 - 133rd General Assembly

Any person may apply for a permit to handle commercial fish, or other fish that may be bought or sold under the Revised Code or division rule, at wholesale. Prior to making application for such a permit, a person first shall satisfy the following qualifications to the satisfaction of the chief of the division of wildlife: over eighteen years of age, no prior conviction of or plea of guilty on or after October 10, 2007, to a disqualifying offense as determined in accordance with section 9.79 of the Revised Code, and ninety days Ohio residency immediately preceding application. The chief shall issue an annual permit granting the applicant the privilege to handle such fish at wholesale at one or more designated premises upon satisfaction of the pre-application qualifications, filing of an application on a form prescribed by the chief, and payment of a fee of sixty-five dollars. No person or a person's agent shall handle at wholesale any fresh water fish or part thereof unless a permit has been issued for the calendar year in which the fish is handled at wholesale for the premises at which the fish is handled.

A fish is handled at wholesale for purposes of this section when it is on a premises within the state and is being held, stored, handled, or processed for the purpose of sale to a person who resells the fish.

The permit required by this section shall be issued subject to the right of entry and inspection of the designated premises of the permittee by any law enforcement officer authorized by section 1531.13 of the Revised Code to enforce the laws and rules of the division of wildlife. Such an officer may enter and inspect the designated premises and any box, package, or receptacle, and the contents thereof, for the purpose of determining whether any provision of this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or division rule is being violated.

No person holding a permit under this section shall remove a label required by section 1533.301 of the Revised Code unless the box, package, or receptacle bearing the label has been opened or unless the label is replaced with another label that meets the requirements of that section.

No person shall fail to comply with any provision of this section or division rule adopted pursuant to it.

Last updated October 9, 2021 at 5:18 AM

Section 1533.632 | Regulation of aquaculture - permits.

• Effective: April 6, 2007
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 443 - 126th General Assembly

(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Aquaculture" means a form of agriculture that involves the propagation and rearing of aquatic species in controlled environments under private control, including, but not limited to, for the purpose of sale for consumption as food.

(2) "Aquaculture species" means any aquatic species that may be raised through aquaculture that is either a class A aquaculture species or a class B aquaculture species.

(3) "Class A aquaculture species" includes any species designated as such by the chief of the division of wildlife in rules adopted under division (B) of this section.

(4) "Class B aquaculture species" includes any species, except for class A aquaculture species, designated as such by the chief in rules adopted under division (B) of this section.

(5) "Aquaculture production facility" means a facility that has suitable infrastructure and equipment, as determined by the chief, and that is solely dedicated to the propagation and rearing of an aquaculture species.

(6) "Suitable infrastructure" includes ponds, raceways, and tanks.

(B) The chief, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, shall adopt rules for the regulation of aquaculture and may issue permits to persons wishing to engage in aquaculture for the production of aquaculture species. Rules adopted under this section shall ensure the protection and preservation of the wildlife and natural resources of this state. The legal length and weight limitations established under section 1533.63 of the Revised Code do not apply to class A or class B aquaculture species.

A permit may be issued upon application to any person who satisfies the chief that the person owns or leases an aquaculture production facility. Each permit shall be in such form as the chief prescribes. The permits shall be classified as either class A or class B. A class A permit shall be required for all class A aquaculture species that are designated by rule as a class A aquaculture species. Class B permits shall be issued on a case-by-case basis. In determining whether to issue a class B permit, the chief shall take into account the species for which the class B permit is requested, the location of the aquaculture production facility, and any other information determined by the chief to be necessary to protect the wildlife and natural resources of this state. The annual fee for a class A permit shall be fifty dollars unless otherwise provided by rule by the chief. The annual fee for a class B permit shall be set by the chief at a level between one hundred and five hundred dollars. In determining the fee to be charged for a class B permit, the chief shall take into account the additional costs to the division for the inspection of aquaculture facilities used to raise a given class B aquaculture species.

The chief may revoke a permit upon a determination that the person to whom the permit was issued has violated any rule adopted under this section. The permit shall be reissued upon a showing by the person that the person is in compliance with the rules adopted under this section. A holder of an aquaculture permit may receive a permit issued under section 1533.301 or 1533.40 of the Revised Code without payment of the fee for that permit if the conditions for the issuance of the permit have been met.

(C) No person shall knowingly sell any aquatic species under an aquaculture permit issued under this section that was not raised in an aquaculture production facility. In addition to any other penalties prescribed for violation of this division, the chief may revoke the permit of any person convicted of a violation of this division for any period of time the chief considers necessary.

(D) No person who does not hold a current valid aquaculture permit shall knowingly sell an aquaculture species while claiming to possess an aquaculture permit.

Section 1533.64 | Property rights in fish.

• Effective: October 10, 2007
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 77 - 127th General Assembly

Fish lawfully confined in a net, or by a device authorized by law, are the property of the owner or person operating the net or other device. No person other than the owner or person in control of the net or other device shall take or catch from it or possess a fish that is or has been so confined unless the person so taking, catching, or possessing the fish has been authorized in writing to do so by the owner or person in control of the net or other device. Each fish taken from and each fish had in possession that was taken from any net or other device legally operated in any of the waters of this state by any person other than the owner or the owner's agent operating the net or other device constitutes a separate offense.

No person shall fail to comply with this section or a division rule adopted pursuant thereto.

Section 1533.641 | Commercial licenses revoked on felony conviction.

• Effective: October 10, 2007
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 77 - 127th General Assembly

(A) If a person is convicted of or pleads guilty on or after the effective date of this section to a felony related to commercial fishing activities for a violation of state or federal law, all commercial fishing licenses issued under section 1533.35 of the Revised Code and all permits to handle commercial fish or other fish at wholesale issued under section 1533.631 of the Revised Code to that person are permanently revoked by operation of law.

(B)(1) If a commercial fishing licensee, such a licensee's authorized representative, a person that has been issued a permit under section 1533.631 of the Revised Code to handle commercial fish or other fish at wholesale, or such a permittee's authorized representative is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of section 1533.341, 1533.343, 1533.41, 1533.42, 1533.62, 1533.63, 1533.631, or 1533.64 of the Revised Code or any division rule pertaining to those sections, the licensee's license or the permittee's permit, as applicable, shall be suspended for a period of thirty fishing season days. Not later than seven days after receipt of a notification under division (F) of this section, the chief of the division of wildlife shall suspend the license or permit.

(2) If a person is convicted of or pleads guilty to a second violation of a section of the Revised Code that is listed in division (B)(1) of this section or any division rule pertaining to those sections within ten years after being convicted of or pleading guilty to the first violation, the applicable licensee's license or permittee's permit shall be suspended for a period of sixty fishing season days. Not later than seven days after receipt of a notification under division (F) of this section, the chief shall suspend the license or permit.

(3) If a person is convicted of or pleads guilty to a third violation of a section of the Revised Code that is listed in division (B)(1) of this section or any division rule pertaining to those sections within ten years after being convicted of or pleading guilty to the first violation, the applicable licensee's license or permittee's permit shall be permanently revoked. Not later than seven days after receipt of a notification under division (F) of this section, the chief shall revoke the license or permit.

(C) During any period of suspension of a license or permit under this section, no person shall use or engage in fishing with commercial gear, or in handling commercial fish or other fish at wholesale with equipment, owned, used, or controlled at the time of conviction or plea by the licensee or the licensee's authorized representative or by the permittee or the permittee's authorized representative, as applicable.

(D) A person whose license has been suspended by operation of law pursuant to any provision of this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or division rule is not eligible to apply for or receive a new commercial fishing license issued under section 1533.35 of the Revised Code or a permit to handle commercial fish or other fish at wholesale issued under section 1533.631 of the Revised Code during the period of the suspension.

(E) For purposes of determining a license or permit suspension or revocation for a violation of section 1533.63 of the Revised Code, multiple convictions resulting from violations of that section that occurred at the same time, on the same day, and at the same location are deemed to be a single conviction of one violation.

(F) The clerk of the court before which a person is convicted of or pleads guilty to a violation of state or federal law as described in division (A) of this section or a section of the Revised Code that is listed in division (B)(1) of this section or any division rule pertaining to those sections shall send written notification to the chief of the conviction or plea together with the person's name and address not later than ten days after the date of conviction or plea.

Section 1533.65 | Each fish constitutes separate offense.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

Each fish caught, killed, taken, or had in possession contrary to a division rule or this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code constitutes a separate offense.

Section 1533.66 | Trespassing upon lands bordering on fishponds.

• Effective: June 1, 1998
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 103 - 122nd General Assembly

(A) No person shall trespass upon lands or rights in lands of another, lying in or bordering upon a natural or artificial pond or brook less than ten miles in length into which have been introduced brook trout, speckled trout, brown trout, landlocked salmon, California salmon, or other fish by artificial propagation or actual importation from other waters, for the purpose of fishing for, catching, or killing fish.

(B) No person shall catch or kill fish in such pond or brook or buy, receive, or possess fish caught contrary to this section.

(C) No person shall willfully place poison or other substance injurious to the health of such fish in a pond or brook described in this section for the purpose of capturing or harming such fish therein, or wrongfully and willfully let the water out of such pond or brook with intent to take or injure fish therein.

(D) Prosecutions for a violation of this section shall be instituted only upon the complaint of the person or the person's agent upon whose lands or rights in lands or waters the trespass has been committed.

(E) Except as otherwise provided in this division, the owner, lessee, renter, or occupant of lands or rights in lands upon which a person violates division (A) of this section is not liable in damages to any person in a civil action for injury, death, or loss to person or property that arises during or incidental to the violation. For the purposes of this division, a finding that a person violated division (A) of this section is not dependent upon the person being charged with or convicted of a violation of division (A) of this section. This division does not apply to civil claims based upon alleged willful or wanton misconduct or intentionally tortious conduct of the owner, lessee, renter, or occupant. This division does not create a new cause of action or a substantive legal right against the owner, lessee, renter, or occupant, and does not affect any immunities from civil liability or defenses established by another section of the Revised Code or available at common law, to which the owner, lessee, renter, or occupant may be entitled under circumstances not covered by this section.

Section 1533.67 | Enforcement procedure.

• Effective: March 18, 1999
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 187 - 122nd General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife, wildlife officers, and other employees of the division that the chief specifies may serve and execute warrants and other processes of law issued in the enforcement of sections 2923.12, 2923.15, and 2923.16 of the Revised Code and in the enforcement of any law or division rule governing the taking, possession, protection, preservation, or propagation of wild animals, or for protection against the wrongful use or occupancy of state owned or leased lands and waters, and property under division control, or in the enforcement of section 3767.32 or any other section of the Revised Code prohibiting the dumping of refuse into or along waters, or in the enforcement of a criminal law of the state when violation of it involves equipment or property owned, leased, or controlled by the division, in the same manner as a sheriff or constable may serve or execute a process, and may arrest on sight and without a warrant a person found violating any such law or rule. The chief or any wildlife officer has the same authority as sheriffs to require aid in executing a process or making an arrest. They may seize without process each part of a wild animal in the possession of a person violating any law or division rule governing the taking, possession, protection, preservation, or propagation of wild animals, together with any boat, gun, net, seine, trap, ferret, or device with which those animals were taken or killed, or that was used in taking or killing them, and any firearm, deadly weapon, or dangerous ordnance, as defined in section 2923.11 of the Revised Code, used or possessed contrary to sections 2923.12, 2923.15, and 2923.16 of the Revised Code, and immediately convey the person so offending before any judge of a county court or judge of a municipal court having jurisdiction over the area in which the offense was committed.

No person shall interfere with, threaten, abuse, assault, resist, or in any manner deter or attempt to deter a wildlife officer or any other officer having like authority from carrying into effect any law or division rule governing the taking, possession, protection, preservation, or propagation of wild animals, or for protection against wrongful use or occupancy of state-owned or leased lands and waters, and property under division control, or any law pertaining to the exhibiting of any license or permit required by this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code, or regulating hunting and trapping on the lands of another. No person shall interfere with, threaten, abuse, assault, resist, or in any manner deter or attempt to deter a wildlife officer or any other officer having like authority from enforcing or from serving or executing any warrant or other process issued in the enforcement of section 3767.32 or any other section of the Revised Code prohibiting the dumping of refuse into or along waters, or a criminal law of the state when violation of it involves equipment or property owned, leased, or controlled by the division, or any of the provisions set forth in section 2923.12, 2923.15, or 2923.16 of the Revised Code regulating use or possession of firearms, deadly weapons, or dangerous ordnance, as defined in section 2923.11 of the Revised Code. Arrests for such offenses may be made on Sunday, in which case the offender immediately shall be taken before any court or magistrate given jurisdiction in such cases by this section and required by that court or magistrate to give bond for the offender's appearance at a time fixed for hearing of the complaint on a weekday as soon after the arrest is made as is practicable. If a bond is required of an offender in such a case and the offender fails to give it, the court shall order the offender committed to the county jail or to some other suitable place of confinement until the time for the hearing. The court may make any other arrangements to insure the appearance of the offender at the designated time it considers advisable. The jailer or officer in charge of the place of confinement designated by the court shall receive the person so committed.

Section 1533.68 | Suspension or revocation of license or permit.

• Effective: April 6, 2007
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 443 - 126th General Assembly

If a person is convicted of a violation of any law relative to the taking, possession, protection, preservation, or propagation of wild animals, or a violation of division (C) of section 2909.08 of the Revised Code while hunting, or is convicted of a violation of any rule of the division of wildlife, the court or magistrate before whom the conviction is had, as an additional part of the penalty in each case, may suspend or revoke each license or permit issued to the person in accordance with any section of the Revised Code pertaining to the hunting, fishing, trapping, breeding, and sale of wild animals or the sale of their hides, skins, or pelts. No fee paid for such a license or permit shall be returned to the person.

No person having a license or permit suspended or revoked as provided in this section, in the event of a hunting or trapping violation, shall engage in hunting or trapping, in the event of a violation of division (C) of section 2909.08 of the Revised Code while hunting, shall engage in hunting, or in the event of a fishing violation, shall engage in fishing, or purchase, apply for, or receive any such license or permit for the following periods of time, as applicable:

(A) Three years after the date of conviction if the person is convicted of taking or possessing a deer in violation of section 1531.02 of the Revised Code;

(B) Not more than three years after the date of conviction if the person is convicted of taking or possessing any other wild animal in violation of section 1531.02 of the Revised Code, is convicted of a misdemeanor violation of division (C) of section 2909.08 of the Revised Code while hunting, or is convicted of a second or subsequent violation of section 1533.17 of the Revised Code within a period of three consecutive years after the date of conviction of the immediately preceding violation of that section;

(C) Not more than five years after the date of conviction if the person is convicted of violating section 1533.171 or of taking or possessing an eagle or osprey in violation of section 1533.07 of the Revised Code or is convicted of a felony violation of division (C) of section 2909.08 of the Revised Code while hunting;

(D) Not more than five years after the date of conviction if the person is convicted of violating any section of this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code not specified in division (A), (B), or (C) of this section.

All licenses and permits suspended or revoked as provided in this section shall be taken up by the magistrate and sent to the department of natural resources where they shall be filed with a record of the arrest until the person who held the suspended or revoked license or permit is lawfully entitled to obtain another license or permit.

Section 1533.69 | Prosecution for violation of division rule.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

Except as otherwise provided in this section, prosecution for violation of a division rule adopted as provided by the Revised Code relative to the taking, possession, protection, preservation, or propagation of wild animals or to the protection of state property or equipment owned, leased or controlled by the division of wildlife shall be under section 1531.02 of the Revised Code. The complaint charging the violation shall describe the offense and cite the number by which the applicable rule is designated.

Prosecution for violation of a division rule adopted pursuant to section 1533.301, 1533.34, 1533.341, 1533.342, 1533.35, 1533.351, 1533.352, 1533.42, 1533.43, 1533.44, 1533.48, 1533.49, 1533.50, 1533.51, 1533.511, 1533.52, 1533.55, 1533.56, 1533.62, 1533.63, 1533.631, or 1533.64 of the Revised Code shall be under the applicable section. The complaint charging the violation shall describe the offense and cite the number by which the applicable rule is designated.

Section 1533.71 | License to raise or keep game birds and animals.

• Effective: June 29, 2012
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 389, Senate Bill 310 - 129th General Assembly

(A) Unless otherwise provided in this section or by division rule, any person desiring to engage in the business of raising and selling game birds, game quadrupeds, reptiles, amphibians, or fur-bearing animals in a wholly enclosed preserve of which the person is the owner or lessee, or to have game birds, game quadrupeds, reptiles, amphibians, or fur-bearing animals in captivity, shall submit an application to the division of wildlife for a license to do so. This section does not apply to a person who possesses wild animals under the authority of a license for a wild animal hunting preserve or a commercial bird shooting preserve.

The division, when it appears that the application is made in good faith and the applicant is in compliance with division (B) of this section, if applicable, and upon the payment of the fee for each license, may issue to the applicant any of the following licenses that may be applied for:

(1) "Commercial propagating license" permitting the licensee to propagate game birds, game quadrupeds except captive white-tailed deer, reptiles, amphibians, or fur-bearing animals in the wholly enclosed preserve the location of which is stated in the license and the application therefor, and to sell the propagated game birds, game quadrupeds except captive white-tailed deer, reptiles, amphibians, or fur-bearing animals and ship them from the state alive at any time, and permitting the licensee and the licensee's employees to kill the propagated game birds, game quadrupeds except captive white-tailed deer, or fur-bearing animals and sell the carcasses for food subject to sections 1533.71 to 1533.79 of the Revised Code. The fee for such a license is forty dollars per annum.

(2) "Noncommercial propagating license" permitting the licensee to propagate game birds, game quadrupeds except captive white-tailed deer, reptiles, amphibians, or fur-bearing animals and to hold the animals in captivity. Game birds, game quadrupeds except captive white-tailed deer, reptiles, amphibians, and fur-bearing animals propagated or held in captivity by authority of a noncommercial propagating license are for the licensee's own use and shall not be sold. The fee for such a license is twenty-five dollars per annum.

(3) "Captive white-tailed deer propagation license" permitting the licensee to propagate captive white-tailed deer, hold the animals in captivity, and sell the animals and carcasses. The fee for such a license is forty dollars. The license is valid until a licensee ceases to hold captive white-tailed deer or the license is revoked, whichever occurs earlier.

(B)(1) A person who wishes to obtain a captive white-tailed deer propagation license, prior to applying for the license, shall construct an authorized enclosure that is surrounded by a fence that is eight feet in height with a minimal deviation not to exceed four per cent, is constructed in a manner that prevents ingress and egress of deer, and is constructed of materials that are approved by the chief of the division of wildlife in consultation with the animal and plant health inspection service in the United States department of agriculture, the department of agriculture, and representatives of the cervid industry in this state.

(2) After constructing an authorized enclosure in accordance with division (B)(1) of this section and division rules, the person may submit an application for a captive white-tailed deer propagation license.

(3) Not later than thirty days after the submission of the application, a representative from the division shall inspect the authorized enclosure to ensure compliance with division (B)(1) of this section and division rules. If the applicant's authorized enclosure is not in compliance with all of the applicable requirements, the representative shall inform the applicant in writing of the deficiencies not later than ten business days after the inspection. If the applicant corrects the deficiencies, the applicant shall request a reinspection. The reinspection shall be conducted in accordance with this division not later than thirty days after the request for reinspection.

If the applicant's authorized enclosure complies with all of the applicable requirements, the chief shall review the application and shall issue or deny the license. If the chief denies the license, the chief shall return the application to the applicant with an explanation of the reasons for denial. The applicant may correct the deficiencies in the application and submit a revised application. If the applicant corrects the deficiencies, the chief shall issue the license as provided in this section.

(4) Upon receipt of a captive white-tailed deer propagation license, receipt of a license under section 943.03 or 943.031 of the Revised Code, and a demonstration to the chief or the chief's designee that each captive white-tailed deer held by the licensee was legally acquired, the licensee may place all of the licensee's deer in the authorized enclosure. The licensee thereafter shall comply with this chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code, division rules, sections 943.20 to 943.26 of the Revised Code, and rules adopted under section 943.24 of the Revised Code.

(C) The division may inspect a facility to which a captive white-tailed deer propagation license has been issued only at reasonable times and when the inspection is in connection with a criminal investigation.

(D) The chief, with the approval of the director of agriculture, may suspend or revoke a captive white-tailed deer propagation license issued to a person who also has been issued a valid license under section 943.03 or 943.031 of the Revised Code for the same facility if the person fails to comply with this chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code, division rules, sections 943.20 to 943.26 of the Revised Code, and rules adopted under section 943.24 of the Revised Code.

(E) Except as provided by law, no person shall possess game birds, game quadrupeds, or fur-bearing animals in closed season, provided that municipal or governmental zoological parks are not required to obtain the licenses provided for in this section.

(F) Except for a captive white-tailed deer propagation license, all licenses issued under this section shall expire on the fifteenth day of March of each year.

(G) The chief shall pay all moneys received as fees for the issuance of licenses under this section into the state treasury to the credit of the fund created by section 1533.15 of the Revised Code for the use of the division in the purchase, preservation, and protection of wild animals and for the necessary clerical help and forms required by sections 1533.71 to 1533.79 of the Revised Code.

(H) This section does not authorize the taking or the release for taking of the following:

(1) Game birds, without first obtaining a commercial bird shooting preserve license issued under section 1533.72 of the Revised Code;

(2) Game or nonnative wildlife, without first obtaining a wild animal hunting preserve license issued under section 1533.721 of the Revised Code.

(I) A license shall not be issued under this section to raise or sell a dangerous wild animal or restricted snake as defined in section 935.01 of the Revised Code.

The Legislative Service Commission presents the text of this section as a composite of the section as amended by multiple acts of the General Assembly. This presentation recognizes the principle stated in R.C. 1.52(B) that amendments are to be harmonized if reasonably capable of simultaneous operation.

Section 1533.72 | License to own or operate commercial bird shooting preserve.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

(A) No person shall own or operate a commercial bird shooting preserve without a license issued by the chief of the division of wildlife under this section.

(B) Application for a commercial bird shooting preserve license shall be made on a form prescribed by the chief and shall be accompanied by an annual license fee of two hundred dollars. The application shall contain a list of which species of game birds are to be released for hunting in the preserve, a description of the lands that are to constitute the preserve, a description of the tag and symbol identifying the preserve required under division (D) of section 1533.73 of the Revised Code, and any other information required by the chief.

(C) The chief, upon payment of the license fee, may issue to the applicant a commercial bird shooting preserve license if all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The operation of the commercial bird shooting preserve does not conflict with a prior reasonable public interest;

(2) The proposed commercial bird shooting preserve meets the requirements established in division (A) of section 1533.73 of the Revised Code;

(3) The applicant is the owner or lessee of the land described in the application and maintains his status as the owner or lessee of the land until the license expires;

(4) The applicant produces evidence satisfactory to the chief that he will comply with division (E) of section 1533.73 of the Revised Code.

(D) All licenses issued under this section shall expire on the thirtieth day of April of each year. Any license holder wishing to own or operate a commercial bird shooting preserve in the year following the expiration of his license shall apply for a new license under division (B) of this section.

(E) In accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, the chief may suspend or revoke a commercial bird shooting preserve license if he finds that the license holder has violated or is violating this chapter of Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or any division rule.

Section 1533.721 | Wild animal hunting preserve license - conditions.

• Effective: June 29, 2012
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 389 - 129th General Assembly

(A) Except as otherwise provided by division rule, no person shall offer for hunting or hunt any nonnative wildlife except in a licensed wild animal hunting preserve. No person shall operate a wild animal hunting preserve without first obtaining a wild animal hunting preserve license issued by the chief of the division of wildlife under this section.

(B) Application for a wild animal hunting preserve license shall be made on a form prescribed by the chief and shall be accompanied by a license application fee of one thousand dollars. The application shall contain a list of which species of game and nonnative wildlife are to be released for hunting in the preserve and any other information required by the chief.

(C) The chief, upon payment of the application fee, shall issue to the applicant a wild animal hunting preserve license if all of the following conditions are met:

(1) The operation of the wild animal hunting preserve does not conflict with a prior reasonable public interest.

(2) The proposed wild animal hunting preserve meets the requirements established in division (A) of section 1533.731 of the Revised Code.

(3) The applicant is the owner or lessee of the land described in the application and maintains that status as the owner or lessee of the land until the license expires.

(4) The proposed wild animal hunting preserve has been inspected by a representative of the division of wildlife to ensure that all wild deer have been removed from the proposed wild animal hunting preserve before any game or nonnative wildlife are released into the preserve.

(D) Prior to an inspection of a proposed wild animal hunting preserve for purposes of division (C)(4) of this section, an applicant for a wild animal hunting preserve license shall remove all wild deer from the proposed preserve using a method that is approved by the chief. All wild deer that cannot be removed from the proposed wild animal hunting preserve shall be killed, and the applicant shall submit a restitution fee in accordance with section 1531.201 of the Revised Code.

(E) Inspection of a proposed wild animal hunting preserve shall be conducted and approval or disapproval of an initial license for such a preserve shall be made between the first day of January through the last day of March of the year in which the applicant first intends to operate the preserve.

(F) Upon receipt of the initial license for a wild animal hunting preserve, receipt of a license under section 943.03 or 943.031 of the Revised Code, and a demonstration to the chief or the chief's designee that each captive white-tailed deer held by the licensee was legally acquired, the licensee may place all of the licensee's deer in the wild animal hunting preserve. A wild animal hunting preserve licensee holding captive white-tailed deer in the preserve shall comply with this chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code, division rules, sections 943.20 to 943.26 of the Revised Code, and rules adopted under section 943.24 of the Revised Code.

(G)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (G)(2) of this section, all licenses issued under this section shall expire on the thirtieth day of April of each year. Any license holder wishing to own or operate a wild animal hunting preserve in the year following the expiration of the license shall submit a license renewal form prescribed by the chief and include an annual renewal fee of two hundred dollars.

(2) A license issued under this section for a wild animal hunting preserve in which only captive white-tailed deer are kept does not expire unless the license is revoked by the chief under division (H)(2) of this section.

(H)(1) Except as otherwise provided in division (H)(2) of this section, and in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, the chief may suspend or revoke a wild animal hunting preserve license if the chief finds that the license holder has violated or is violating this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or any division rule.

(2) The chief, with the approval of the director of agriculture, may suspend or revoke a wild animal hunting preserve license issued to a person who also has been issued a valid license for that preserve under section 943.03 or 943.031 of the Revised Code if the person fails to comply with this chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code, division rules, sections 943.20 to 943.26 of the Revised Code, and rules adopted under section 943.24 of the Revised Code.

(I) This section does not authorize the hunting of game birds in a licensed wild animal hunting preserve unless the licensee also possesses a valid commercial bird shooting preserve license issued under section 1533.72 of the Revised Code for the same land for which the wild animal hunting preserve license was issued.

Section 1533.722 | Administrative penalty.

• Effective: April 12, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 442 - 133rd General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife, by rule adopted pursuant to section 1531.08 of the Revised Code, may levy an administrative penalty against any person who violates section 1533.721 of the Revised Code or any division rule regarding wild animal hunting preserves. The chief shall levy the administrative penalty in accordance with procedures and in an amount established by rule.

Section 1533.73 | Commercial bird shooting preserves - regulations - leg bands and tags.

• Effective: March 27, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 420 - 129th General Assembly

(A) Except as otherwise provided in this division or by division rule, licensed commercial bird shooting preserves may be established in any county of the state, but no such preserve shall be less than eighty acres or more than six hundred forty acres in area. A commercial bird shooting preserve shall be in one continuous block of land, except that the block of land may be intersected by highways or roads. No commercial bird shooting preserve shall be located within fifteen hundred feet of any other such preserve.

A licensed commercial bird shooting preserve operated by a municipal corporation on lands located within its corporate limits is not subject to this division.

(B) The boundaries of each licensed commercial bird shooting preserve shall be clearly defined by posting, at intervals of not more than two hundred feet, with signs prescribed by the division of wildlife.

(C) Mallard or black ducks and other game birds upon which there is an open season in this state, which the chief of the division may approve for such use, and that have been legally acquired or propagated under the authority of a propagating license issued under section 1533.71 of the Revised Code and marked and banded as provided in division (D) of this section may be released and harvested by shooting within the confines of any licensed commercial bird shooting preserve between sunrise and sunset, without regard to sex, daily bag limit, or open season, by licensed hunters authorized by the holder of the commercial bird shooting preserve license to hunt on those lands.

(D) All game birds released on a licensed commercial bird shooting preserve shall first be banded with a leg band that shall bear upon it a symbol identifying the commercial bird shooting preserve. No game birds shall be possessed or transported outside the licensed area unless each such bird is tagged with a suitable tag or seal supplied by the division.

(E) The holder of a commercial bird shooting preserve license shall raise, or purchase, and release on the licensed commercial bird shooting preserve at least five hundred pheasants annually. With the approval of the chief, the license holder may raise, or purchase, and release, in lieu of pheasants, a like number of other game birds. No person shall fail to release the required number of game birds on a licensed commercial bird shooting preserve as required by this division.

(F) The holder of a commercial bird shooting preserve license is not liable for any damage to or destruction of growing crops on land adjacent to the preserve caused by game birds released on the preserve.

(G) No holder of a commercial bird shooting preserve license shall violate this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or any division rule.

(H) A person may hunt game birds, other than wild turkeys, in a licensed commercial bird shooting preserve without obtaining a hunting license otherwise required by section 1533.10 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.731 | Wild animal hunting preserves - regulations.

• Effective: March 27, 2013
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 420 - 129th General Assembly

(A) No wild animal hunting preserve shall be less than eighty acres in area. Each such preserve shall be in one continuous block of land, except that the block of land may be intersected by highways or roads. No wild animal hunting preserve shall be located within one thousand five hundred feet of another such preserve.

The boundaries of each wild animal hunting preserve shall be clearly defined by posting, at intervals of not more than four hundred feet, with signs prescribed by the division of wildlife. Each wild animal hunting preserve shall be surrounded by a fence at least eight feet in height, with a minimal deviation not to exceed four per cent, that is constructed of a woven wire mesh, or such other enclosure approved by the chief of the division of wildlife.

(B)(1) Except as provided in divisions (B)(2) and (3) of this section, game and nonnative wildlife that have been approved by the chief for such use and that have been legally acquired or propagated under the authority of a propagating license issued under section 1533.71 of the Revised Code or propagated within the confines of a licensed wild animal hunting preserve may be released and hunted within the confines of the licensed wild animal hunting preserve between one-half hour before sunrise and one-half hour after sunset, without regard to sex, bag limit, or open season, by hunters authorized by the holder of the wild animal hunting preserve license to hunt on those lands. The chief shall establish, by rule, the allowable methods of taking game and nonnative wildlife in a wild animal hunting preserve.

(2) No game or nonnative wildlife on the federal endangered species list established in accordance with the "Endangered Species Act of 1973," 87 Stat. 884, 16 U.S.C.A. 1531, as amended, or the state endangered species list established in rules adopted under section 1531.25 of the Revised Code, no bears native to North America, and no large carnivores of the family Felidae shall be released for hunting or hunted in any wild animal hunting preserve in this state.

(3) No person shall release for hunting or hunt within a wild animal hunting preserve any game or nonnative wildlife not listed in the application for a license for that preserve.

(C) Unless otherwise specified by division rule, all game and nonnative wildlife released on a wild animal hunting preserve shall be identified with a tag that shall bear upon it a symbol identifying the preserve.

(D) No person shall remove living game or nonnative wildlife from a wild animal hunting preserve unless the game or nonnative wildlife are being transferred to another wild animal hunting preserve in accordance with rules adopted by the director of agriculture under section 943.24 of the Revised Code.

(E) The holder of a wild animal hunting preserve license shall keep a record of all animals that have been released into the preserve. The record shall include all of the following:

(1) The date on which each animal was released into the preserve;

(2) The number of each species of animals;

(3) The number of males and females of each species of animals;

(4) The name and address of each person from whom each animal was obtained.

The licensee shall record in a manner specified by the division the name and address of each person that takes any game or nonnative wildlife from the preserve. The licensee shall maintain those records for a period of two years and make them available for inspection by the division at all reasonable times in conjunction with an active criminal investigation.

(F) In addition to complying with the requirements established by division (E) of this section, the holder of a wild animal hunting preserve license who has captive white-tailed deer in the preserve shall keep a record of all known escapes of those deer, deaths of those deer that were not a result of hunting, and laboratory results for testing for chronic wasting disease of those deer that is required by section 943.21 of the Revised Code and rules adopted under section 943.24 of the Revised Code.

(G) For the purposes of division (B) of section 1533.02 of the Revised Code, the owner or operator of a wild animal hunting preserve shall furnish each person who takes any game or nonnative wildlife from the preserve a certificate bearing a description of the animal, the date the animal was taken, and the name of the preserve.

(H) The holder of a wild animal hunting preserve license prominently shall display the license at the place of business that is specified in the license.

(I) The chief shall adopt rules under section 1531.10 of the Revised Code that provide for the safety of the public and for the protection of the game and nonnative wildlife to be hunted in a wild animal hunting preserve prior to their release in the preserve.

(J) No holder of a wild animal hunting preserve license shall violate this chapter or Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or any division rule.

(K) This section does not authorize the hunting of game birds in a licensed wild animal hunting preserve unless the licensee also possesses a valid commercial bird shooting preserve license issued under section 1533.72 of the Revised Code for the same land for which the wild animal hunting preserve license was issued.

(L) A person may hunt game and nonnative wildlife in a licensed wild animal hunting preserve without obtaining a hunting license otherwise required by section 1533.10 of the Revised Code or a deer permit otherwise required by section 1533.11 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.74 | Tag or seal required for animals sold for food.

• Effective: June 29, 2012
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 389 - 129th General Assembly

No game birds, game quadrupeds, or fur-bearing animals held under the authority of a license issued under section 1533.71, 1533.72, or 1533.721 of the Revised Code shall be sold for food unless the carcass of each game bird, game quadruped, or fur-bearing animal is tagged with a suitable tag or seal approved by the division of wildlife. Game birds, game quadrupeds, and fur-bearing animals so killed and tagged may be possessed, bought, or sold at any time. Common carriers shall receive and transport game birds, game quadrupeds, and fur-bearing animals so tagged, but to every package containing them shall be affixed a tag or label upon which shall be plainly printed or written the name of the person to whom the license was issued, the name of the person to whom they are to be transported, the number of game birds, game quadrupeds, or fur-bearing animals contained in the package, and a statement to the effect that they were killed and tagged in accordance with sections 1533.71 to 1533.79 of the Revised Code.

The chief of the division of wildlife may adopt rules under section 1531.10 of the Revised Code necessary to administer this section.

This section and rules adopted pursuant to it do not apply to meat that has been inspected by the department of agriculture under Chapter 918. of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it and that has been marked with an official inspection mark, stamp, or brand pursuant to that inspection.

Section 1533.76 | Division of wildlife may purchase pheasants.

• Effective: June 29, 2012
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 389 - 129th General Assembly

No licensee shall ship any live pheasants propagated in accordance with sections 1533.71 to 1533.79 of the Revised Code from this state until the licensee has first offered them to the division of wildlife at a reasonable price, which price shall not exceed the price at which the licensee offers them for sale at any place outside the state.

Section 1533.77 | Records of holder of propagating license - inspection of records.

• Effective: June 29, 2012
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 389 - 129th General Assembly

(A) Each holder of a noncommercial or commercial propagating license issued under section 1533.71 of the Revised Code shall keep the license prominently displayed at the place of business specified in the license, and shall keep accurate written records that shall include the total number of game birds, game quadrupeds, or fur-bearing animals possessed on the date of application for the license, the number subsequently propagated or acquired by purchase or gift, the number that escaped, the number that were released, the number that died, and the name and address of each person or corporation from whom or to whom game birds, game quadrupeds or fur-bearing animals were received as a gift or given as a gift or purchased or sold alive or sold for food, and the date of each transaction. These records shall be kept permanently on the premises stated in the license, and shall be open for inspection by any authorized representative of the division of wildlife at all reasonable times.

(B) Each holder of a captive white-tailed deer propagation license issued under section 1533.71 of the Revised Code shall maintain all records that are required in rules adopted under section 943.24 of the Revised Code. The records shall be kept permanently on the premises stated in the license and shall be open for inspection by any authorized representative of the department of agriculture at all reasonable times and of the division of wildlife at all reasonable times in conjunction with an active criminal investigation.

(C) The holder of a captive white-tailed deer propagation license shall not knowingly falsify any record or tag that is required in rules adopted under section 943.24 of the Revised Code or in rules adopted under section 1531.10 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.79 | Control or eradication of parasites and diseases; authority of the director of agriculture.

• Effective: June 29, 2012
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 389 - 129th General Assembly

(A) The chief of the division of wildlife may adopt, amend, and rescind such rules as the chief considers necessary to control or eradicate parasites and diseases of game birds, game quadrupeds other than captive white-tailed deer, fur-bearing animals, or nonnative wildlife on the lands subject to sections 1533.71 to 1533.79 of the Revised Code.

(B) This chapter and Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code and division rules do not supersede the authority of the director of agriculture under Chapter 941. of the Revised Code to prevent the spread of dangerously contagious or infectious diseases and to provide for the control and eradication of such diseases.

Section 1533.81 | Waterfowl hunting area permit required.

• Effective: May 3, 1990
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 550 - 118th General Assembly

Every person who owns, holds, or controls land or water, within a state or federal waterfowl management area, shall obtain annually a permit from the chief of the division of wildlife prior to permitting the hunting or taking of waterfowl on that land or water. The annual permit entitles the permittee to possess or control blinds, pits, or similar legal devices of concealment on the lands and waters described in the application for a permit. This permit shall be designated as a "waterfowl hunting area permit" and shall be displayed openly at the address of the area indicated on the application for a permit. All such permits shall expire each year at midnight on the first day of February.

Qualifications and fees for the permit shall be prescribed and set by the chief of the division of wildlife, with the approval of the director of the department of natural resources, in accordance with Chapters 119. and 1531. of the Revised Code. The holders of such permits shall operate in conformity with Chapter 1531. of the Revised Code or under such additional rules as the chief of the division of wildlife may prescribe.

No person shall engage in the hunting of waterfowl on an area of land or water for which a waterfowl hunting area permit has been issued by the division of wildlife without the permission of the person designated on the permit as the owner or the person in control of the area.

The landowner and the children of the owner and persons residing on lands and waters within a waterfowl management area shall not be required to secure the permit required by this section while the landowner and his children are hunting on lands he owns and the other persons are hunting on lands on which they reside.

The holder of this permit shall daily record the name of each hunter and the number and kinds of waterfowl taken on the area on forms provided by the division. The records shall be available for inspection by an employee of the division at all reasonable times and shall be forwarded to the division within one week after the close of each waterfowl season or at more frequent times as may be requested by the chief. Falsifying or failure to submit accurate reports constitutes grounds for the chief to deny future permits.

Section 1533.82 | Effect of child support default on license, certificate or permit.

• Effective: September 26, 2003
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 95 - 125th General Assembly

(A) On receipt of a notice pursuant to section 3123.43 of the Revised Code, the chief of the division of wildlife shall comply with sections 3123.41 to 3123.50 of the Revised Code and any applicable rules adopted under section 3123.63 of the Revised Code with respect to a license, permit, or certificate issued pursuant to section 1533.23, 1533.34, 1533.342, 1533.40, 1533.51, 1533.631, 1533.71, 1533.72, 1533.81, 1533.88, or 1533.881 of the Revised Code.

(B) On receipt of a notice pursuant to section 3123.62 of the Revised Code, the chief shall comply with that section and any applicable rules adopted under section 3123.63 of the Revised Code with respect to a license, permit, or stamp issued pursuant to section 1533.10, 1533.11, 1533.111, 1533.112, or 1533.32 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.83 | Shooting range definitions.

• Effective: September 29, 2011
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 153 - 129th General Assembly

As used in sections 1533.83 to 1533.85 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Political subdivision" means a municipal corporation, township, county, or other body corporate and politic responsible for governmental activities in a geographic area smaller than that of the state.

(B) "Shooting range" means a facility operated for the purpose of shooting with firearms or archery equipment, whether publicly or privately owned and whether or not operated for profit, including, but not limited to, commercial bird shooting preserves and wild animal hunting preserves established pursuant to this chapter. "Shooting range" does not include a facility owned or operated by a municipal corporation, county, township police district, or joint police district.

(C) "Harm" means injury, death, or loss to person or property.

(D) "The chief's noise rules" means the rules of the chief of the division of wildlife that are adopted pursuant to section 1533.84 of the Revised Code and that pertain to the limitation or suppression of noise at a shooting range or to the hours of operation of shooting ranges.

(E) "The chief's public safety rules" means the rules of the chief of the division of wildlife that are adopted pursuant to section 1533.84 of the Revised Code and that pertain to public safety, including standards for the reconstruction, enlargement, remodeling, or repair of any structure or facility that is part of a shooting range.

Section 1533.84 | Shooting range standards.

• Effective: November 21, 1997
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 209 - 122nd General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife, in accordance with section 1531.10 of the Revised Code, shall adopt rules establishing generally accepted standards for shooting ranges. These rules shall be no more stringent than national rifle association standards, and include standards for the limitation and suppression of noise, standards for the hours of operation of shooting ranges of the various types and at the various locations of ranges, and standards for public safety. The rules may include standards for the reconstruction, enlargement, remodeling, or repair of any structure or facility that is part of a shooting range provided that any local laws creating standards for the reconstruction, enlargement, remodeling, or repair of structures or facilities that apply generally to all structures or facilities and not exclusively or primarily to shooting ranges also shall apply to shooting ranges. Nothing in this section limits the authority of a county or township board of zoning appeals to issue or deny conditional zoning certificates for the reconstruction, enlargement, remodeling, or repair of an existing shooting range pursuant to division (C) of section 303.14 or division (C) of section 519.14 of the Revised Code or the authority of a board of county commissioners or board of township trustees relating to the completion, restoration, reconstruction, extension, or substitution of nonconforming uses pursuant to section 303.19 or 519.19 of the Revised Code. At the time of its establishment, a shooting range shall comply with all existing local ordinances, regulations, or laws.

The chief of the division of wildlife shall consult with a representative sample of persons and organizations that own, operate, or use shooting ranges and persons and organizations that represent counties, townships, municipal corporations, and holders of real property adjoining shooting ranges prior to filing or amending the rules required or authorized under this section in accordance with section 1531.10 of the Revised Code. A draft copy of the chief's proposed rules or any subsequent amendments to the rules shall be submitted to representatives of the above-listed organizations, who shall be given thirty days to review and submit written comments on the draft rules to the chief. The chief shall consider but not be bound by the written comments and, after giving due regard to the public interests, shall file the initial rules in accordance with section 1531.10 of the Revised Code within one hundred eighty days after the effective date of this section.

Last updated April 20, 2021 at 6:00 PM

Section 1533.85 | Immunity in civil action concerning shooting range noise.

• Effective: November 21, 1997
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 209 - 122nd General Assembly

(A)(1) The owner, operator, or user of a shooting range is not liable in damages in a civil action to any person for harm that allegedly is caused by the creation of noise at the shooting range or the failure to limit or suppress noise at the shooting range if the owner, operator, or user substantially complies with the chief's noise rules.

(2)(a) Division (A) of this section does not create a new cause of action or substantive legal right against an owner, operator, or user of a shooting range.

(b) Division (A) of this section does not affect any immunities from or defenses to civil liability established by other sections of the Revised Code or available at common law to which the owner, operator, or user of a shooting range may be entitled.

(c) Division (A) of this section shall apply only to harm that occurs on or after the effective date of this section.

(d) Division (A) of this section does not confer an immunity from civil liability in relation to an owner's, operator's, or user's actions or omissions that constitute negligence, willful or wanton misconduct, or intentionally tortious conduct if those actions or omissions are not the subject of the chief's noise rules or are not in substantial compliance with the chief's noise rules.

(B) The owner, operator, or user of a shooting range is not subject to criminal prosecution under any section of the Revised Code, or under any ordinance, resolution, or regulation of a political subdivision, that relates to the creation, limitation, or suppression of noise if the conduct of the owner, operator, or user that allegedly violates the section, ordinance, resolution, or regulation substantially complies with the chief's noise rules.

(C) Notwithstanding any contrary provision of law, the courts of common pleas, municipal courts, housing divisions of municipal courts, and county courts of this state shall not grant injunctive relief under Chapter 3767. or any other section of the Revised Code, under an ordinance, resolution, or regulation of a political subdivision, or under the common law of this state against the owner or operator of a shooting range in a nuisance action if the court determines that the owner's or operator's actions or omissions that are the subject of a complaint substantially complied with the chief's noise rules or the chief's public safety rules, whichever apply to the nuisance action.

Section 1533.86 | Ohio ginseng management program definitions.

• Effective: April 6, 2007
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 443 - 126th General Assembly

As used in sections 1533.86 to 1533.90 of the Revised Code:

(A) "Ginseng" means the plant Panax quinquefolius L., also known as Panax quinquefolium L., commonly known as American ginseng.

(B) "Wild ginseng" means ginseng that grows in an uncultivated state and in its natural habitat whether the plant occurs naturally from that habitat or was introduced or increased in abundance by sowing ginseng seed or transplanting ginseng plants from other areas and performing no other cultivation practices.

(C) "Cultivated ginseng" means ginseng that grows or has been grown in tilled beds under the shade of artificial structures or natural shade and is cultivated according to standard ginseng horticultural practices.

(D) "Harvest" means to cut, pick, dig, root up, gather, or otherwise collect ginseng.

(E) "Person" includes any legal entity defined as a person under section 6111.01 of the Revised Code and any political subdivision, instrumentality, or agency of another state.

(F) "Collector" means a person who harvests ginseng.

(G) "Grower" means a person who grows cultivated ginseng.

(H) "Dealer" means a person who buys or otherwise acquires or conveys ginseng for resale.

(I) "Buy" includes trade or barter.

(J) "Sell" includes trade or barter.

Section 1533.87 | Ohio ginseng management program.

• Effective: March 18, 1999
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 187 - 122nd General Assembly

There is hereby established in the department of natural resources the Ohio ginseng management program, which shall be administered by the chief of the division of wildlife. The program shall be administered to achieve and maintain a sustained yield of ginseng so that harvesting of the plant is not detrimental to the survival of the species. The chief shall do all things necessary to regulate the harvesting of wild ginseng and the buying, possession, transportation, sale, offering for sale, or exposure for sale of wild or cultivated ginseng.

Section 1533.88 | Rules.

• Effective: March 18, 1999
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 187 - 122nd General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife shall adopt rules under section 1531.10 of the Revised Code as necessary to carry out the purposes of sections 1533.86 to 1533.90 of the Revised Code, including, but not limited to:

(A) Establishing a harvest season for wild ginseng;

(B) Establishing a certification program for all legally harvested ginseng, including setting a certification fee;

(C) Establishing a buying season for ginseng that has not yet been certified in accordance with rules adopted under division (B) of this section;

(D) Establishing a registration permit system to authorize ginseng dealers to buy or otherwise acquire or convey ginseng for resale and export;

(E) Establishing a record system to be kept by collectors, dealers, and growers of ginseng;

(F) Developing educational materials about ginseng, ginseng regulation, and the Ohio ginseng management program.

Section 1533.881 | Resale or export registration permit.

• Effective: March 18, 1999
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 187 - 122nd General Assembly

No person shall buy or otherwise acquire or convey ginseng for resale or export without a registration permit issued annually by the chief of the division of wildlife in accordance with rules adopted pursuant to section 1533.88 of the Revised Code. In addition to any other penalty, the chief may refuse to issue a permit to or suspend the permit of any person who fails to comply with sections 1533.86 to 1533.90 of the Revised Code or rules adopted pursuant to section 1533.88 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.882 | Prohibited acts.

• Effective: April 6, 2007
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 443 - 126th General Assembly

No person shall do any of the following:

(A) Without written authorization from the chief of the division of wildlife, harvest wild ginseng except during the harvesting season as established by rule adopted pursuant to section 1533.88 of the Revised Code;

(B) Without first obtaining written permission from the person entitled to the ginseng, willfully destroy, injure, or harvest ginseng that is the property of that person;

(C) Attempt to harvest ginseng in a manner that, if harvested, would constitute a violation of division (A) or (B) of this section;

(D) Ship or otherwise transport out of state ginseng that has not been certified in accordance with rules adopted pursuant to division (B) of section 1533.88 of the Revised Code;

(E) Except during the buying season as established by rule adopted pursuant to section 1533.88 of the Revised Code, buy, otherwise acquire, or sell uncertified ginseng;

(F) Fail to keep records as established by rule adopted pursuant to section 1533.88 of the Revised Code;

(G) Possess ginseng from another state without a certificate of legal taking issued by that state under its ginseng management program;

(H) Knowingly provide incorrect or false information on or in any permit application, report, export certificate, or other document required by rules adopted pursuant to section 1533.88 of the Revised Code;

(I) Violate any provision of sections 1533.86 to 1533.90 of the Revised Code or rules adopted pursuant to section 1533.88 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.89 | Enforcement of statutes and rules.

• Effective: September 14, 2016
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 293 - 131st General Assembly

Any sheriff, deputy sheriff, marshal, deputy marshal, municipal police officer, township constable, natural resources officer, conservancy district police officer, or other law enforcement officer, within the limits of the officer's jurisdiction, may enforce sections 1533.86 to 1533.90 of the Revised Code and rules adopted pursuant to section 1533.88 of the Revised Code, and any wildlife officer may enforce those sections and rules throughout the state.

Section 1533.891 | Seizure and forfeiture of ginseng.

• Effective: March 18, 1999
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 187 - 122nd General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife shall seize any ginseng harvested or acquired in violation of any provision of sections 1533.86 to 1533.90 of the Revised Code or rules adopted pursuant to section 1533.88 of the Revised Code. Ginseng so seized is forfeited to the state, to be disposed of as directed by the chief.

Section 1533.90 | Moneys paid into wildlife fund.

• Effective: March 18, 1999
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 187 - 122nd General Assembly

Unless otherwise directed by the director of natural resources, all fees, fines, penalties, and forfeitures arising from prosecutions, convictions, confiscations, or other actions taken under sections 1533.86 to 1533.90 of the Revised Code shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the wildlife fund created under section 1531.17 of the Revised Code, to be used for the administration of sections 1533.86 to 1533.90 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.91 | Nonresident licenses or permits - reciprocal agreements.

• Effective: October 20, 1994
• Latest Legislation: Senate Bill 182 - 120th General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife, upon approval of the wildlife council and the attorney general, may enter into agreements with the appropriate officials of one or more states, whereby the chief will issue nonresident fishing licenses, hunting licenses, and hunting and fur taker permits to residents of other party states for the fees charged Ohio residents, and Ohio residents may obtain nonresident licenses in other party states for the fees that are charged residents of those states.

Section 1533.92 | Tag fishing tournament on public waters - application for permit.

• Effective: May 3, 1990
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 550 - 118th General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife, with the approval of the director of natural resources, may issue a permit for the operation of a tag fishing tournament on state-administered and other public waters. A permit may be issued to any person making application to the chief in accordance with rules adopted under section 1533.93 of the Revised Code and upon payment of a separate fee established by the chief for each tag fishing tournament. Any fee established under this section shall not exceed two hundred dollars.

The chief shall act upon an application within thirty days from its receipt. The chief shall notify the applicant of his decision regarding approval or disapproval of the application by certified mail, return receipt requested. Failure of the chief to act within thirty days shall be deemed to be a denial of the application. In any case where an application is denied, the applicant may appeal the decision of the chief to the court of common pleas of Franklin county, which shall have original, exclusive jurisdiction over such appeals. To perfect such an appeal, the applicant shall cause a copy of a notice of appeal to be filed with the court of common pleas and with the chief within ten days of the mailing of the chief's notice of denial of the application or within ten days of the expiration of the thirty-day period if the chief fails to act. Upon receipt of the notice of appeal, the chief shall certify to the court of common pleas a copy of the complete application and all documents submitted to him in relation to it. In reviewing the appeal, the court is limited to the papers certified to it by the chief and to argument of the parties. The court may reverse the chief's decision only upon clear and convincing proof that the license was denied contrary to law.

Section 1533.93 | Rules for operation of tag fishing tournaments.

• Effective: May 3, 1990
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 550 - 118th General Assembly

The chief of the division of wildlife, with the approval of the director of natural resources, shall adopt, and may amend or rescind, rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code related to the operation of tag fishing tournaments. The rules shall establish criteria for approval of a permit for the operation of a tag fishing tournament under section 1533.92 of the Revised Code and may limit the operation of a tag fishing tournament by virtue of such factors as the size and dimensions of the body of water where the tournament is proposed to be held, the number of participants in the tournament, possible effects that the operation of a tournament may have upon state-administered property, public waters, the environment, and wildlife, considerations of public safety, and such other matters as the chief considers appropriate for the operation of a tag fishing tournament.

Section 1533.94 | Special conditions on permit.

• Effective: May 3, 1990
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 550 - 118th General Assembly

In issuing a permit under section 1533.92 of the Revised Code, the chief of the division of wildlife may impose any special conditions upon the operation of the proposed tag fishing tournament that the chief considers appropriate and necessary for safeguarding state-administered property, public waters, the environment, and wildlife and for ensuring public safety.

Section 1533.95 | Immunity.

• Effective: May 3, 1990
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 550 - 118th General Assembly

(A) The department of natural resources is not liable for any death or injury to person or property that may result from the operation of a tag fishing tournament regardless of whether or not a permit has been issued for the operation of that tournament under section 1533.92 of the Revised Code.

(B) No employee, officer, agent, or official of the department is liable for any death or injury to person or property that may result from the operation of a tag fishing tournament regardless of whether or not a permit has been issued for the operation of that tournament under section 1533.92 of the Revised Code unless it is established in an action brought in the court of claims within one year after that tournament that the acts of the employee, officer, agent, or official giving rise to the death or injury were wanton, willful, and malicious. Within six months of the final judgment of the court of claims that the acts of the employee, officer, agent, or official giving rise to the death or injury were wanton, willful, and malicious, the aggrieved party may file an action for damages in the court of common pleas of the county of his residence or where the death or injury occurred.

Section 1533.96 | Ineligibility for permit.

• Effective: May 3, 1990
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 550 - 118th General Assembly

(A) No person who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a theft or fraud offense under the laws of this state, another state, or the United States shall be eligible to apply for a permit to operate a tag fishing tournament under section 1533.92 of the Revised Code.

(B) No person who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any gambling offense under the laws of this state, another state, or any political subdivision of this state or another state shall be eligible to apply for a permit to operate a tag fishing tournament under section 1533.92 of the Revised Code.

(C) No person who has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to violating section 1533.97 of the Revised Code shall thereafter be eligible to apply for a permit to operate a tag fishing tournament under section 1533.92 of the Revised Code.

Section 1533.97 | Prohibited acts.

• Effective: May 3, 1990
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 550 - 118th General Assembly

(A) No person shall operate a tag fishing tournament without a permit issued by the chief of the division of wildlife under section 1533.92 of the Revised Code.

(B) No person shall operate a tag fishing tournament contrary to any special conditions imposed on the tournament by the chief under section 1533.94 of the Revised Code.

(C) No person shall operate a tag fishing tournament in a manner that violates the rules of the chief adopted under section 1533.93 of the Revised Code. Each violation of any such rule constitutes a separate violation of this division.

(D) No person operating a tag fishing tournament in accordance with a permit issued by the chief under section 1533.92 of the Revised Code shall charge an entry fee per participant in excess of ten per cent of the permit fee established by the chief under that section if the permit fee is less than two hundred dollars.

Section 1533.98 | Certain tournament not prohibited.

• Effective: May 3, 1990
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 550 - 118th General Assembly

Nothing in sections 1533.92 to 1533.97 or section 2915.02 of the Revised Code shall be construed as prohibiting a fishing tournament in which a prize is awarded by virtue of catching a quantity, size, or weight of fish and not by virtue of catching any specifically marked fish.

Section 1533.99 | Penalty.

• Effective: June 29, 2012
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 389 - 129th General Assembly

(A) Whoever violates section 1533.17 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree on a first offense and a misdemeanor of the second degree on each subsequent offense. In addition to any other sanction imposed under this division, on a second or subsequent offense occurring within a period of three consecutive years after the date of conviction of the immediately preceding violation of that section any firearms or other hunting implements in the possession or under the control of the offender at the time of the violation are subject to seizure in accordance with section 1531.20 of the Revised Code. If the offender persists in the offense after reasonable warning or request to desist, the offender is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree.

(B) Whoever violates section 1533.161, 1533.23, 1533.24, 1533.301, 1533.40, 1533.41, 1533.45, 1533.48, 1533.511, 1533.55, 1533.56, 1533.58, 1533.62, 1533.631, 1533.66, 1533.71, 1533.72, 1533.73, 1533.74, 1533.76, 1533.77, or 1533.79, division (J) of section 1533.731, or division (B) or (C) of section 1533.97 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.

(C) Whoever violates division (B) of section 1533.03, section 1533.07, 1533.171, 1533.34, 1533.341, 1533.342, 1533.35, 1533.42, 1533.51, 1533.63, 1533.64, 1533.67, 1533.68, 1533.721, 1533.881, or 1533.882, division (B)(2) or (3) of section 1533.731, or division (A) of section 1533.97 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.

(D) Whoever violates division (D) of section 1533.97 of the Revised Code is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. The court shall require any person who is convicted of or pleads guilty to the offense to refund to all participants in the fishing tournament operated by the person any entry fees paid by the participants.

(E) Whoever violates division (C) or (D) of section 1533.632 of the Revised Code is guilty of a felony of the fifth degree.

(F) Whoever violates any section of this chapter for which no penalty is otherwise provided is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.

(G) A court that imposes sentence for a violation of any section of this chapter governing the holding, taking, or possession of wild animals may require the person who is convicted of or pleads guilty to the offense, in addition to any fine, term of imprisonment, seizure, and forfeiture imposed, to make restitution for the minimum value of the wild animal or animals illegally held, taken, or possessed as established under section 1531.201 of the Revised Code. An officer who collects moneys paid as restitution under this section shall pay those moneys to the treasurer of state who shall deposit them in the state treasury to the credit of the wildlife fund established under section 1531.17 of the Revised Code.