As Passed by the House

136th General Assembly

Regular Session H. B. No. 64

2025-2026

Representatives Thomas, D., Deeter

Cosponsors: Representatives Bird, Lear, Lorenz, Stewart, Glassburn, Troy, Jones, Gross, Salvo, Miller, J., Williams, Miller, K., Dean, John, Hiner, Johnson, Sigrist, Kishman, Miller, M., Robb Blasdel, Klopfenstein, Fowler Arthur, Brennan, Fischer, Richardson, Mathews, T., Abrams, Brent, Brewer, Brownlee, Callender, Claggett, Click, Creech, Daniels, Demetriou, Denson, Ferguson, Ghanbari, Grim, Hall, T., Hoops, King, Lampton, LaRe, Lett, Manning, Mathews, A., McClain, McNally, Mohamed, Mullins, Newman, Odioso, Oelslager, Peterson, Pizzulli, Plummer, Rader, Ray, Ritter, Roemer, Rogers, Russo, Santucci, Schmidt, Sims, Sweeney, Synenberg, Teska, Thomas, C., White, A., White, E., Workman, Young

A BILL

To amend sections 1533.10, 1533.11, 1533.111, 1533.32, and 1533.321 of the Revised Code to allow Ohio residents who are 65 and up, instead of 66 and up, to qualify for discounted hunting and fishing licenses and permits.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:

Section 1. That sections 1533.10, 1533.11, 1533.111, 1533.32, and 1533.321 of the Revised Code be amended to read as follows:

Sec. 1533.10. (A) Except as provided in this section or division (A)(2) of section 1533.12 or section 1533.73 or 1533.731 of the Revised Code, no person shall hunt any wild bird or wild quadruped without a hunting license. Each day that any person hunts within the state without procuring such a license constitutes a separate offense.

(B)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, division (A) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code, or in rules adopted under division (B) of that section, each applicant for a hunting license shall pay an annual fee for each annual license in accordance with the following schedule:

(2) Apprentice resident hunting licenses, apprentice youth hunting licenses, apprentice senior hunting licenses, and apprentice nonresident hunting licenses are subject to the requirements established under section 1533.102 of the Revised Code and rules adopted under it.

(3) As used in division (B)(1) of this section:

(a) "Youth" means an applicant who is under the age of eighteen years at the time of application for a license.

(b) "Senior" means an applicant who is sixty-six sixty-five years of age or older at the time of application for a license.

(c) "Reciprocal state" means a state that is a party to an agreement under section 1533.91 of the Revised Code.

(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.

Sec. 1533.11. (A)(1) Except as provided in this section or section 1533.731 of the Revised Code, no person shall hunt deer on lands of another without first obtaining an annual deer permit. Except as provided in this section, no person shall hunt wild turkeys on lands of another without first obtaining an annual wild turkey permit. A deer or wild turkey permit is valid during the hunting license year in which the permit is purchased. Except as provided in rules adopted under division (B) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code, each applicant for a deer or wild turkey permit shall pay an annual fee for each permit in accordance with the following schedule:

(2) As used in division (A)(1) of this section:

(a) "Youth" means an applicant who is under the age of eighteen years at the time of application for a permit.

(b) "Senior" means an applicant who is sixty-six sixty-five years of age or older at the time of application for a permit.

(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.

Sec. 1533.111. (A) Except as provided in this section or division (A)(2) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code, no person shall hunt or trap fur-bearing animals on land of another without first obtaining some type of an annual fur taker permit.

(B)(1) Except as otherwise provided in rules adopted under division (B) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code, each applicant for a fur taker permit or an apprentice fur taker permit shall pay an annual fee for each annual permit in accordance with the following schedule:

(2) As used in division (B)(1) of this section:

(a) "Youth" means an applicant who is under the age of eighteen years at the time of application for a permit.

(b) "Senior" means an applicant who is sixty-six sixty-five years of age or older at the time of application for a permit.

(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.

Sec. 1533.32. (A) Except as provided in this section or division (A)(2) or (C) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code or as exempted at the discretion of the chief of the division of wildlife, no person, including nonresidents, shall take or catch any fish by angling in any of the waters in the state or engage in fishing in those waters without a license. No person shall take or catch frogs or turtles without a valid fishing license, except as provided in this section. Persons fishing in privately owned ponds, lakes, or reservoirs to or from which fish are not accustomed to migrate are exempt from the license requirements set forth in this section. Persons fishing in privately owned ponds, lakes, or reservoirs that are open to public fishing through an agreement or lease with the division of wildlife shall comply with the license requirements set forth in this section.

(B)(1) Except as otherwise provided in rules adopted under division (B) of section 1533.12 of the Revised Code, each applicant for a fishing license shall pay a fee for each license in accordance with the following schedule:

(2) As used in division (B)(1) of this section:

(a) "Reciprocal state" means a state that is a party to an agreement under section 1533.91 of the Revised Code.

(b) "Senior" means an applicant who is sixty-six sixty-five years of age or older at the time of application for a license.

(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.

Sec. 1533.321. (A) The chief of the division of wildlife may issue any of the following:

(1) Multi-year hunting or fishing licenses for three-, five-, or ten-year terms to a resident of this state;

(2) Lifetime hunting or fishing licenses to a resident of this state;

(3) A package consisting of any combination of license, stamp, or permit that the chief is authorized to issue under this chapter.

(B) The chief may adopt rules in accordance with section 1531.10 of the Revised Code governing multi-year hunting and fishing licenses, lifetime hunting and fishing licenses, and combination packages, including rules establishing fees for the combination packages. The chief shall ensure that the price for a combination package is not discounted by more than five per cent of the total fees for the licenses, permits, or stamps that a person would otherwise pay for those licenses, permits, or stamps if the person purchased them individually.

(C)(1) The multi-year and lifetime license fund is hereby created in the state treasury. The fund shall consist of money received from application fees for multi-year and lifetime hunting and fishing licenses.

(2) Each fiscal year, a prorated amount of the money from each multi-year and lifetime license fee shall be transferred from the multi-year and lifetime license fund to the fund into which the applicable single year license fee would otherwise be deposited. The prorated amount shall equal the total amount of the fee charged for the license divided by the number of years the license is valid. The chief shall adopt rules in accordance with section 1531.10 of the Revised Code for the administration of this division, including establishing a system that prorates lifetime license fees for deposit each year into the wildlife fund created in section 1531.17 of the Revised Code.

(3) Each fiscal year, all previous year's investment earnings from the multi-year and lifetime license fund shall be transferred into the wildlife fund created in section 1531.17 of the Revised Code.

(D)(1) Each applicant for a multi-year or lifetime fishing license who is a resident of this state shall pay a fee for each license in accordance with the following schedule:

(2) As used in division (D)(1) of this section:

(a) "Youth" means an applicant who is under the age of sixteen years at the time of application for a license.

(b) "Senior" means an applicant who is sixty-six sixty-five years of age or older at the time of application for a license.

(E)(1) Each applicant for a multi-year or lifetime hunting license who is a resident of this state shall pay a fee for each license in accordance with the following schedule:

(2) As used in division (E)(1) of this section:

(a) "Youth" means an applicant who is under the age of eighteen years at the time of application for a license.

(b) "Senior" means an applicant who is sixty-six sixty-five years of age or older at the time of application for a license.

(F) If a person who is issued a multi-year hunting or fishing license or lifetime hunting or fishing license in accordance with division (A) of this section subsequently becomes a nonresident after issuance of the license, the person's license remains valid in this state during its term, regardless of residency status.

Section 2. That existing sections 1533.10, 1533.11, 1533.111, 1533.32, and 1533.321 of the Revised Code are hereby repealed.