TITLE 27 GAME AND FISH

Section 2. Licenses, Permits, and Stamps Generally, 27-2-1 through 27-2-42.

ARTICLE 1 HUNTING, TRAPPING, OR FISHING

27-2-3.1. Hunting licenses; sportsman's license; license card carrier requirement; creation of lifetime sportsman's licenses.

1. The requirements in this title for procuring any paid license or permit for noncommercial hunting and fishing privileges, except for harvesting alligators, shall be satisfied by a resident or nonresident who procures a sportsman's license; provided, however, that the department may specify other nonpaid licenses and permits required by law or by rule or regulation of the board. An applicant for such license shall furnish all information required by the department prior to the issuance of such license. An applicant for any paid or nonpaid license who is a resident shall certify and provide satisfactory evidence of his or her residency as set forth in paragraph (4) of subsection (c) of this Code section.
2. All licenses, stamps, or permits for noncommercial hunting and fishing privileges shall be attached to or printed on a form provided by the department which shall include the applicant's name, address, date of birth, and hunter safety certification number; provided, however, that each such item of information may be, but is not required to be, printed on lifetime licenses.
3. 1. The requirements in this title for procuring any paid license, stamp, or permit for noncommercial hunting and fishing privileges shall be satisfied by a resident or nonresident who procures a lifetime sportsman's license; provided, however, that the department may specify other required nonpaid licenses and permits required by law or by rule or regulation of the board for such resident or nonresident and that an applicant for such license shall furnish all information required by the department prior to the issuance of such license; and provided, further, that the requirements in this title for procuring any paid license, stamp, or permit for noncommercial hunting or for noncommercial fishing privileges, separately, shall be satisfied by a resident or nonresident who procures a lifetime sportsman's license for hunting only or for fishing only, respectively, as described in subparagraph (d)(1)(E) of this Code section.
   2. An applicant for a veteran's lifetime sportsman's license shall, in addition to satisfactory evidence of residency, be required to provide satisfactory evidence that he or she served more than 90 days of federal active duty military service and was honorably discharged.
   3. An applicant for a lifetime sportsman's license who is a nonresident shall not be eligible for issuance of such license unless:
      1. He or she is from two through 15 years of age and is the grandchild of a resident who holds a valid paid lifetime sportsman's license (excluding a no-cost Type S lifetime license). The resident grandparent who holds such a lifetime sportsman's license and who is the sponsor of an eligible nonresident applicant for a lifetime sportsman's license shall certify the nonresident applicant's relationship to him or her in writing to the department; or
      2. He or she is less than two years of age.
   4. 1. For purposes of procuring a lifetime sportsman's license, the term "residency" means a domicile within Georgia for a minimum of three consecutive months immediately prior to procuring such license. Satisfactory evidence of residency shall consist of a current Georgia driver's license or official Georgia identification card issued by the Department of Driver Services; provided, however, that no license or identification card issued pursuant to Code Section 40-5-21.1 shall satisfy the requirements of this paragraph.
      2. Minors under 18 years of age shall be presumed to be residents upon proof of parent's resident status as provided for in this Code section. For purposes of procuring the Type I (Infant) and Type Y (Youth) lifetime license, a copy of a certified copy of the birth certificate of the licensee shall be required to show age (Types I and Y) and parentage (Type Y). A court order or other legal document establishing parental rights or legal custody may be provided to show parentage.
4. 1. Lifetime sportsman's licenses and fees for residents shall be as follows:
      1. Type I (Infant), available only to those individuals under two years of age: $500.00;
      2. Type Y (Youth), available only to those individuals from two through 15 years of age: $600.00;
      3. Type A (Adult), available to those individuals 16 years to 49 years of age: $750.00;

         (C.1) Type OA (Older Adult), available to those individuals 50 years to 59 years of age: $375.00;

      4. Type SD (Senior Discount), available to those individuals 60 years to 64 years of age: $315.00;
      5. Type S (Senior), available to those individuals 65 years of age or older born on or before June 30, 1952: no charge. The lifetime sportsman's licenses and fees available to those individuals 65 years of age and older born after June 30, 1952, shall be as follows:
         1. Type SP (Senior Paid): $70.00;
         2. Type SH (Senior Hunt), for hunting only: $35.00; and
         3. Type SF (Senior Fish), for fishing only: $35.00;
      6. Type V (Veterans), available only to those individuals who served more than 90 days of federal active duty military service and were honorably discharged: 80 percent of the amount of the fee specified for Type A lifetime sportsman's licenses in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph;
      7. Type M (Military), available only to those residents currently in active military service and who are in possession of a valid United States Department of Defense Common Access Card with a Uniformed Services affiliation. As used in this subsection, the term "active military service" means service on active duty with the armed forces of the United States or service with a reserve component of the armed forces of the United States, including service in the Georgia National Guard or National Guard of another state: 80 percent of the amount of the fee specified for Type A lifetime sportsman's licenses in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph; and
      8. Type SP (Shooting Preserve), available to any individual, resident or nonresident, and which entitles the holder to hunt pen raised game birds and fish in any private or state waters within the boundaries of a properly licensed shooting preserve: $75.00.
   2. The fee for any lifetime sportsman's license for a nonresident, Type NR, shall be twice the amount of the fee for a Type A (Adult) lifetime sportsman's license for a resident, except that the fee for a nonresident Type I (Infant) license shall be the same fee as for a resident Type I (Infant) license.
   3. After July 1, 2017, the General Assembly shall not increase the cost of any license provided for in this subsection by more than 20 percent.
5. Lifetime sportsman's licenses shall be valid for the lifetime of the purchaser, whether resident or nonresident. Change of residency to another state shall not affect the validity of the lifetime license when hunting or fishing in Georgia.
6. The commissioner shall revoke the lifetime sportsman's license of any person who knowingly attempts to or does purchase, obtain, or assist another person to obtain a lifetime sportsman's license by fraudulent means, without refund of any fees paid.
7. Upon payment of a replacement fee of up to $15.00, any durable plastic card showing a lifetime sportsman's license or other valid license may be replaced if lost, stolen, or destroyed, provided that the applicant's name and lifetime license number or other required license information are in the records of the department.
8. Once a lifetime license is issued, no refunds of fees will be made except in the case of the death before age 16 years of a Type I (Infant) lifetime license holder or a Type Y (Youth) license holder, in which case a full refund of fees collected may be made upon submission of the lifetime license and any other documentation required by the department.
9. The requirements in this title for procuring any paid license, stamp, or permit for noncommercial hunting and fishing privileges shall be satisfied by a resident youth younger than 16 years of age who procures an optional annual or an optional multiyear resident youth sportsman's license. The requirements in this title for procuring any paid license, stamp, or permit for noncommercial fishing privileges shall be satisfied by a youth younger than 16 years of age who procures an optional annual or an optional multiyear resident youth license for fishing only. A resident youth multiyear fishing license or resident youth multiyear sportsman's license will be valid from the time of purchase until such person reaches 17 years of age. The department may require satisfactory evidence to show age and residency before issuing an annual or youth multiyear license.

(Code 1981, §27-2-3.1, enacted by Ga. L. 1995, p. 946, § 4; Ga. L. 1998, p. 783, § 4; Ga. L. 1998, p. 826, § 1; Ga. L. 2001, p. 1013, § 7; Ga. L. 2002, p. 415, § 27; Ga. L. 2003, p. 654, §§ 4, 5; Ga. L. 2004, p. 338, § 1; Ga. L. 2005, p. 334, § 11-1/HB 501; Ga. L. 2007, p. 91, § 1A/HB 81; Ga. L. 2009, p. 787, § 2/HB 326; Ga. L. 2010, p. 878, § 27/HB 1387; Ga. L. 2013, p. 771, § 4/HB 155; Ga. L. 2014, p. 859, § 1/HB 786; Ga. L. 2015, p. 5, § 27/HB 90; Ga. L. 2017, p. 27, § 4/HB 208.)

The 2017 amendment, effective July 1, 2017, rewrote subsection (a); inserted "paid" near the beginning and added the proviso at the end of paragraph (c)(1); deleted former paragraph (c)(2), which read "An applicant for such license who is a resident shall certify and provide satisfactory evidence of his or her residency as set forth in paragraph (5) of this subsection."; redesignated former paragraphs (c)(3) through (c)(5) as present paragraphs (c)(2) through (c)(4), respectively; in paragraph (c)(3), substituted "a lifetime sportsman's licence" for "such license" in the introductory language and substituted "(excluding a no-cost Type S lifetime license)" for "(not a Type S lifetime license)" in the first sentence of subparagraph (c)(3)(A); in subparagraph (c)(4)(b), inserted "or legal custody" in the last sentence; in paragraph (d)(1), substituted "$500.00" for "$200.00" in subparagraph (d)(1)(A), substituted "$600.00" for "$350.00" in subparagraph (d)(1)(B), substituted "$750.00" for "$500.00" in subparagraph (d)(1)(C), added subparagraph (d)(1)(C.1), substituted "60 years to 64 years of age: $315.00" for "60 years of age or older: $95.00" in subparagraph (d)(1)(D), rewrote subparagraph (d)(1)(E), deleted "and" at the end of subparagraph (d)(1)(F), added subparagraph (d)(1)(G), and redesignated former subparagraph (d)(1)(G) as present subparagraph (d)(1)(H); added paragraph (d)(3); substituted "$15.00" for "$10.00" near the beginning of subsection (g); and added subsection (i). See Editor's note for applicability.