Ohio falconry license

First-year fees

≈$150 first year: $75 exam/application fee + $75 falconry permit ($25 per year, issued on a three-year basis)

Renewals run $25 per year (OAC 1501:31-37-01(A)(1)-(2))

All application and permit fees are forfeited if permit requirements are not met within one year. A hunting license is required in addition.

Exam & minimum age

Exam: 80% to pass. The $75 application fee covers the supervised exam at the ODNR Central Office in Columbus (≥80% to pass); failed candidates wait six months and pay $75 again. A hunter education course is also required.

Minimum age: 16 — Stricter than the federal floor: apprentice permit holders must be at least 16, and General class at least 18 (OAC 1501:31-37-01(B)(1)(a), (B)(2)(a)).

Classes: Apprentice → General → Master

Birds by class & trapping

Apprentice: one raptor — American kestrel or red-tailed hawk only. General (18+): up to 3 raptors with no more than 2 from the wild; no bald eagles or state/federal listed species. Master: up to 5 wild raptors plus any number of captive-bred; federal-threatened take requires written authorization from both the division and USFWS.

A raptor capture (marker) permit must be in hand before attempting capture; markers are attached immediately. Falconry reports are due to the division by July 31 each year. Nonresidents may fly in Ohio with a valid Ohio nonresident hunting license plus home-state authorization.

Notes from the official sources

Regulation of record is Ohio Administrative Code 1501:31-37-01 (updated July 2024); ODNR's falconry permit page covers the exam-to-inspection application flow.