West Virginia falconry license

First-year fees

$250 initial application/permit fee for any class — the most expensive falconry permit in the United States; the annual renewal is $100 (§58-65-3.5.1-3.5.2)

Permits run January 1 – December 31 each year and must be renewed annually

Let the renewal lapse more than 30 days and the full $250 fee applies again (§3.5.2); a permit lapsed five years or more cannot be reinstated at all (§3.7).

Exam & minimum age

Exam: 80% to pass. 80% on a supervised exam provided and administered by the Division, covering raptor biology, care and handling, literature and law (§58-65-6.1).

Minimum age: 12 — Apprentice applicants must be at least 12 — the federal floor; applicants under 18 need a parent or legal guardian co-signature who assumes legal responsibility (W. Va. Code R. §58-65-5.1.1-5.1.2).

Classes: Apprentice → General → Master

Birds by class & trapping

Apprentice (12+): one raptor — an American kestrel or red-tailed hawk taken from the wild by the applicant or in their immediate presence; eyasses and imprints barred. General (16+, 2 apprentice years): two raptors, no eagles or listed species. Master (5 general years): five wild raptors plus up to five additional captive-bred; any Falconiform, Accipitriform or Strigiform except bald eagles, with up to two golden, white-tailed or Steller's sea eagles under §12 qualifications.

Apprentices must take their first bird themselves or witness its capture; a sponsor (18+, General or Master with 2+ years at general) is mandatory for the first two apprentice years regardless of age, with at most three apprentices each. Nonresidents may practice on a home-state permit plus a WV nonresident hunting license; nonresident wild take is possible only if the home state allows reciprocal taking (§58-65-8.6).

Notes from the official sources

Regulation of record: W. Va. Code R. §58-65 (Falconry series). Temporary residents (120+ days) must obtain a West Virginia permit; moving falconers get an exam waiver on proof of a similar home-state exam but remain subject to facility inspection.