Superseded 7/1/2023

(1)  The department is responsible for the issuance of permits and licenses for the purposes of the federal Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956.

Terms Used In Utah Code 4-23-106

  • Department: means the Department of Agriculture and Food created in Chapter 2, Administration. See Utah Code 4-1-109
  • Land: includes :Utah Code 68-3-12.5
  • Livestock: means cattle, sheep, goats, swine, horses, mules, poultry, domesticated elk as defined in Section 4-39-102, or any other domestic animal or domestic furbearer raised or kept for profit. See Utah Code 4-1-109
  • Person: means a natural person or individual, corporation, organization, or other legal entity. See Utah Code 4-1-109
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
  • United States: includes each state, district, and territory of the United States of America. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
(2)  A private person may not use an aircraft for the prevention of damage without first obtaining a use permit from the department.

(3)  The department may issue an annual permit for aerial hunting to a private person for the protection of land, water, wildlife, livestock, domesticated animals, human life, or crops, if the person shows that the person or the person’s designated pilot, along with the aircraft to be used in the aerial hunting, are licensed and qualified in accordance with the requirements of the department set by rule.

(4)  The department may predicate the issuance or retention of a permit for aerial hunting upon the permittee’s full and prompt disclosure of information as the department may request for submission pursuant to rules made by the department.

(5)  The department shall collect an annual fee, set in accordance with Section 63J-1-504, from a person who has an aircraft for which a permit is issued or renewed under this section.

(6)  Aerial hunting activity under a permit issued by the department is restricted to:

(a) 

(i)  private lands that are owned or managed by the permittee;

(ii)  state grazing allotments where the permittee is permitted by the state or the State Institutional Trust Lands Administration to graze livestock; or

(iii)  federal grazing allotments where the permittee is permitted by the United States Bureau of Land Management or United States Forest Service to graze livestock; and

(b)  only during the time period for which the private land owner has provided written permission for the aerial hunting.

(7)  The department shall make rules, in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, that are necessary to carry out the purpose of this section.

(8)  The issuance of an aerial hunting permit or license under this section does not authorize the holder to use aircraft to hunt, pursue, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect protected wildlife, as defined in Section 23-13-2, unless also authorized by the Division of Wildlife Resources under Section 23-20-12.

Amended by Chapter 311, 2020 General Session