4VAC15-20-65. Definitions and Miscellaneous: In General. Hunting, Trapping, and Fishing License and Permit Fees
Summary
The recommendation is to update certain hunting, fishing, and trapping fees up to the amount allowed by law to offset increased costs associated with managing fish and wildlife populations and the habitats that support them and providing and maintaining access to these resources.
Proposed Language
Note: In the “Proposed Language” document, underlined text denotes proposed new language, while text with a strikethrough denotes language that is proposed to be deleted.
Rationale
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources administers numerous programs that support the management of fish and wildlife populations, as well as lands and waters, throughout the state; public access to these resources; enforcement of fish and wildlife laws and regulations; hunter and angler safety training; and public awareness. These services are paid for, in part by fees paid to hunt, fish, and trap in Virginia. In 2025, the DWR issued over 198,000 hunting licenses to individuals; 305,000 individual fishing licenses (including 55,000+ trout licenses); 63,000 sportsman’s licenses; more than 1,500 trapping licenses; 22,000 fee fishing area licenses; 96,000 freshwater/saltwater fishing licenses; 26,000 Virginia Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamps; and 5,400 waterfowl blind licenses. In that same period, the agency also issued nearly 24,000 lifetime licenses (hunting, freshwater fishing, trout, and trapping). Except for lifetime licenses, most licenses sold are valid for not more than a year.
Under its authorities outlined in the Code of Virginia (§29.1-103.16), the Board of Wildlife Resources may, by regulation, adopt revisions to fees charged for all hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses authorized under Articles 1 (§ 29.1-300 et seq.) and 2 (§ 29.1-340 et seq.) of Chapter 3 of Title 29.1. These fees may not be raised or lowered more than once every three years and by not more than $5 at any one time for resident licenses or $50 at any one time for nonresident licenses. The Board of Wildlife Resources last implemented broad scale fee changes to fishing, hunting, and trapping licenses in 2011.
Since the Board’s last broad scale action on license fees, prices in the U.S. have increased by roughly 43.8%, representing an average annual inflation rate of 2.63%. The value of the dollar has also decreased, with $1 in 2012 having the purchasing power of 70 cents in 2026. Equally dramatic changes have occurred in construction costs, with cumulative increases of more than 40% just between 2020 and 2026. Over the past six years, personnel costs have risen by nearly 25%, in large part due to annual salary increases included in the state budgets. The agency has received no new state funding to support those salary increases. Accordingly, the organization’s annual operating budgets have moved from 60% personnel, 40% non-personnel to nearly 80% personnel, 20% non-personnel. Over this same period, DWR revenues have remained generally static. Those trends, coupled with unpredictable changes (such as tariffs and volatile gasoline costs), have placed the agency in an unsustainable financial position. Such a situation is untenable over time due to needs to replace equipment, ensure employee safety, and implement priority programs. The DWR’s operating budget for fiscal year 2012 was approximately $55.2 million, which would equate to a comparable budget of just over $79.5 million in fiscal year 2027 (beginning July 1, 2026). The agency’s proposed operating budget for fiscal year 2027 is approximately $65 million.
During this same period (2012–2026), demands on the agency have increased substantially, with little additional revenue to offset the resulting costs. Public expectation of timely and in-person responsiveness to human-wildlife conflict resolution has significantly changed how conservation police officers and wildlife biologists spend their time. A growing, diverse population presents both challenges and opportunities for increasing outdoor recreation participation. Increasing demand for public access to lands and waters is well-documented not only in the DWR’s management plans, but also in the updated Virginia Outdoors Plan, where access to natural areas and water continue to be two of the top 10 most desired outdoor recreation opportunities. Capital maintenance of DWR facilities (hatcheries, dams, boating access, WMA infrastructure) needed to provide safe and meaningful access has not kept pace with use, with an estimated current infrastructure liability of more than $275 million.
While the DWR has made great strides finding efficiencies in programs, including an overall reduction in employee numbers, the agency is struggling to maintain the level of service to which to public has grown accustomed. Enforcement of laws and regulations that protect the recreating public, providing access, and managing Virginia’s fish and wildlife populations, as well as the habitats that support them, remain top priorities. The proposed updated fees would help offset increased costs across all program areas, allowing the agency to better address the needs of hunters, anglers, and recreationists across Virginia’s lands and waters. Accounting for a relatively minor churn rate of 3%, the agency expects these increases to generate approximately $6.39 million in additional annual revenue. This additional revenue will help to support the economic impact of fishing, hunting, and boating, which are estimated to contribute $3.2 billion, $1.2 billion, and $4.4 billion, respectively, to the Virginia economy. With the exception of non-resident fishing licenses, the proposed increases keep the license fee schedule generally in line with fees charged by adjacent states.