(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.

Terms Used In Ohio Code 1533.17

  • Another: when used to designate the owner of property which is the subject of an offense, includes not only natural persons but also every other owner of property. See Ohio Code 1.02
  • Common law: The legal system that originated in England and is now in use in the United States. It is based on judicial decisions rather than legislative action.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
  • Property: means real and personal property. See Ohio Code 1.59

(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.