Any person who desires to buy, acquire, sell, transport, ship, or
store at any time any fur or pelt of any wild quadruped taken within or
outside the State of Maryland shall first obtain a Fur Dealer’s License
from the Department of Natural Resources.
Resident Fur Dealer Permit/License
There is a six-month residency requirement to obtain a resident Fur
Dealer’s License, which means the person must have resided permanently
in the State for a period of not less than 6 months immediately
preceding the time of application. The fee for the Resident Fur Dealer
License/Permit is $50.00.
Non-Resident Fur Dealer Permit/License
The fee for the Nonresident Fur Dealer License is $100.00.
Every application for a license must contain the information
requested on the application form, provided by the Wildlife and Heritage
Term of License
Every Fur Dealer’s License issued shall expire on June 30 following
the date of issuance.
Exemptions from License Requirement
-
A person who buys or otherwise acquires any fur or pelt of any
wild quadruped for the personal use of the person and not for barter,
exchange, or sale.
-
A person who can substantiate the fact that any fur or pelt the
person possesses is bought from a licensed fur dealer or lawfully
obtained from a dealer in another state and is dressed, altered,
trimmed, repaired, or manufactured into a finished product, but not
resold as a fur or pelt.
-
A tanner or taxidermist who possesses any fur or pelt legally
owned by another person and which the tanner or taxidermist
temporarily is holding solely for the purpose of processing.
-
A person who sells or possesses to sell the meat, pelt, carcass,
or mounted specimen of any beaver, coyote, fisher, fox, mink, muskrat,
nutria, opossum, otter, racoon, skunk, or long-tailed weasel legally
taken by that person.
-
Any person who butchers a deer for another person and who retains
the hide or fur of the deer because the other person did not want to
take the hide or fur.
-
Any person who sells or possesses to sell the hide, hair, tail or
feet, excluding a mounted specimen of deer, squirrel, or rabbit
legally acquired.
Reporting Requirements
Each fur dealer shall keep a ledger on a form provided by the
Department which includes the name, address, and current hunting,
trapping, fur dealer’s, taxidermist and fur tanner’s, or game husbandry
license number of each person from whom any fur was purchased or
received within or outside the State, the date of purchase or receipt,
the quantity of each species of furs purchased, and the country, state,
and county or political subdivision where the furs were taken, and
identifies any appropriate official game or fur possession tag number or
bill of sale.
The ledger must state the final disposition of the furs and the date
disposed of. Disposition includes selling, transporting, shipping,
storing, or otherwise using or possessing the furs.
The licensee shall also include the same information with regard to
any wildlife taken from the wild by the licensee. The ledger shall cover
every transaction from date of issuance of the fur dealer’s license
until date of expiration and shall be kept up-to-date.
Annual Reports - Between July 1 and July 10, every fur dealer
shall submit the ledger to the Secretary, along with a statement under
oath that the information in the ledge is correct on forms provided to
the licensee by the Secretary, indicating the number or quantity and
species of furs possessed, and the county or place of origin where furs
were taken, possessed, bought, sold, transported, shipped, stored,
tanned, or used by him during the period covered by the previous
license.
Every fur dealer also shall include in the report the name, address,
and current license number of each person from whom any fur was
purchased, within or outside the state, the date of purchase, the
quantity of each species of fur purchased, and the county where the furs
were taken, if purchased in the state.
Each report shall cover every transaction from date of issuance of
the fur dealer’s license until expiration. The application for the
annual renewal of the Fur Dealer’s license shall accompany the
submission of the ledger.
Inspections
The licensee shall allow any Natural Resources Police officer or any
law enforcement officer to enter the premises and holding facilities
where operations are being carried on to inspect wildlife and to inspect
records.
Responsibilities
A fur dealer shall carry the license on the dealer’s person and shall
exhibit the license upon demand. The licensee shall allow any Natural
Resources Police officer or any law enforcement officer to enter and
inspect the premises where the operations are being carried on and to
In addition to any other penalties provided by State law and
regulation, any person convicted of failing to maintain and keep
up-to-date a ledger as required by these laws or of making false entries
shall have the license revoked for a period of at least one year and not
exceeding five years.
Out-of-State Fur Shipment
A person knowingly may not ship, transport or carry by any means any
fur or pelt of any wild quadruped to a point outside the State unless
each shipment has a special shipping tag attached to the outside.
Shipping tags may be obtained from the Department, with each tag
composed of 2 parts. Each part shall give the name and address of the
consignee and the kind and number of any fur or pelt contained in the
package. One part shall be attached to any fur or pelt personally
carried open to view or attached on the outside of the container in
which any fur or pelt is shipped or transported. The other part of the
tag shall immediately be forwarded to the Dept. Of Natural Resources,
c/o the Furbearer Program Manager, Wildlife and Heritage Service, 12512 Pleasant Valley Road, Flintstone MD 21530.
[Exemption - A licensed fur dealer in the State may
not be required to attach a special tag to any shipment of furs or
pelts of any wild quadruped to another state if the fur dealer’s
license number for the current year appears on the outside of any
package being shipped or transported.]
A person may not willfully or wantonly remove, mutilate, or destroy
any tag attached to the outside of a container in which any fur or pelt
is shipped.
A common carrier or the carrier’s agent knowingly may not receive any
fur or pelt of any wild quadruped for shipment to any point outside the
State unless the fur or pelt is tagged or marked as required.
How to Apply
To apply for the Resident or Nonresident Fur Dealer Permit/License,
please download and print the appropriate application, and mail to:
Wildlife Permits Coordinator
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Wildlife and Heritage Service
580 Taylor Ave E-1
Annapolis MD 21401
Remember, the application must be fully completed and returned along
with the Application Fee of $50.00 for Residents and $100.00 for
Nonresidents. Make your check or money order payable to: The Department
of Natural Resources.
Application for Resident Fur Dealer Permit
Application for Nonresident Fur Dealer Permit
Related Permits
Taxidermist and Fur Tanner Permit
Request by E-mail:
(include US Mailing Address)
customer.service@maryland.gov
Request by Phone:
(410) 260-8540
Toll-free in Maryland:
1-877-620-8DNR [8367], Extension 8540
TTY: Maryland Relay via
1-800-735-2258 or 711
Request by Mail:
Wildlife Permit Coordinator
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Wildlife and Heritage Service
580 Taylor Ave., E-1
Annapolis MD 21401
