Pennsylvania falconry license

First-year fees

≈$75 first year: $25 nonrefundable examination fee + $50 annual falconry permit fee (34 Pa.C.S. §2904(a)(7)), paid once the exam and facility inspection are passed

Annual permit; fees may be multiplied by a multi-year period selected at application

A nonresident raptor take permit costs an additional nonrefundable $100 (58 Pa. Code §147.106a(c)(2)). A valid Pennsylvania hunting license must accompany the application.

Exam & minimum age

Exam: 80% to pass. New applicants pass a supervised 80% exam at a regional office covering laws, raptor biology and identification, trapping methods, facilities, care, disease and training (58 Pa. Code §147.102(b)); a $25 nonrefundable examination fee accompanies the application.

Minimum age: 12 — A resident-only state: falconry permits issue only to Pennsylvania residents aged 12 or older (34 Pa.C.S. §2901); General class starts at 16 and Master at 23 (58 Pa. Code §147.103).

Classes: Apprentice → General → Master

Birds by class & trapping

Apprentice (12+): one wild passage raptor — American kestrel or red-tailed hawk only; first-year permittees get no replacement. General (16+, 2 apprentice years incl. 12 months with a raptor): first year 2 raptors, then 3 with two replacements; eagles and listed species barred. Master (23+, 5 general years incl. 3 with a raptor): first year 4, then 5 with two replacements; captive-bred non-hybrids do not count against the quota, and up to 3 eagles (golden, white-tailed, Steller's sea) may be authorized with two experience letters.

Eyasses only by General/Master, max two wild eyases per permit year, never the last remaining in a nest; total wild take is capped at two raptors per permit year. The first passage raptor must be trapped under the direct supervision of a general or master permittee. Nonresident take permits run May 8 – Jul 15 for eyasses and Sept 19 – Dec 31 for passage birds, first-come-first-served within annual quotas of 5 eyas and 15 passage; eyas goshawks may not be taken.

Notes from the official sources

Regulation of record: 58 Pa. Code Chapter 147 Subchapter F plus 34 Pa.C.S. §2901/§2904. Annual report due July 31; Form 3-186A copies go to the Bureau of Wildlife Protection within 5 days. The Arctic peregrine limited-take season (Sept 20 – Oct 20) runs on an annual drawing with a $25 application fee.