RSA 214:9-c · Lifetime Licenses

214:9-c Lifetime Licenses. –

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I.

(a) The executive director, at the department of fish and game headquarters only, shall issue lifetime hunting, freshwater fishing, or combination hunting and freshwater fishing licenses similar to that issued on an annual basis under RSA 214:9, III to any resident applicant upon payment of the proper fee, which shall be established by the executive director in accordance with the provisions of paragraph II. (b)(1) In addition, the executive director may issue lifetime licenses to any resident under 16 years of age.

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(2)

In addition further, the executive director may issue discounted lifetime licenses to residents who have not yet reached their first birthday. The executive director shall establish the discounted amount of such lifetime licenses in rules adopted under RSA 541-A, except that the fee for a combination hunting and freshwater fishing lifetime license for a resident who has not yet reached his or her first birthday shall be set by the executive director as prescribed in paragraph II.

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(3)

The parent or legal guardian of the applicant shall be a resident pursuant to RSA 207:1, XXIII. The hunting license or hunting portion of the combination license shall not be valid until the licensee has met the requirements of RSA 214:23-a. Upon meeting the requirements of RSA 214:23-a, the licensee shall have the hunting license or the combination hunting and fishing license validated at the fish and game department headquarters only.

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(4)

The executive director, upon application, may issue a discounted lifetime license to a resident who is a permanently disabled veteran and complies with the provisions of RSA 214:13, II. The discounted amount of a permanently disabled veteran's lifetime license shall be 50 percent of the cost of a lifetime license calculated pursuant to paragraph II of this section.

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II.

The executive director shall obtain an actuarial table based on an appropriate annuity from the commissioner of insurance and shall set the fee for the various licenses, including newborns, annually on July 15 of each year for the following year based on the age of the applicant. The fee for any applicant under 16 years of age shall be the same as the fee for a 16-year-old applicant, except for newborns which shall be set by the executive director. In addition the applicant shall pay the agent's fee in accordance with RSA 214-A:4.

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III.

In no case shall any lifetime license issued be transferable or any portion of the cost of the license refundable.

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IV.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the monies received from the sale of such lifetime licenses shall be deposited with the state treasurer who shall keep the same in a separate fund to be known as the prepaid fish and game license fund. The state treasurer shall invest the monies in the fund and shall annually transfer to the fish and game fund from the prepaid fish and game license fund an amount equal to 9 percent of the principal balance in the fund each year and any interest that accrues to the prepaid fish and game license fund in excess of 5 percent.

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V.

In addition, the state treasurer shall pay the amount of one annual license fee to the fish and game fund from the proceeds of each lifetime license sold during the current year, the balance going into the prepaid fish and game license fund.

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VI.

Licenses issued pursuant to this section shall entitle the holder thereof to the same privileges and subject the licensee to the same restrictions as a holder of an annual license.

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VII.

The executive director shall issue a bear license and tag upon application by the valid holder of a lifetime hunting or combination license. Such license and tag shall be valid for the current bear season only. The bear license and tag shall be issued at no charge and each shall be of a type and design approved by the executive director. Lifetime licensees holding bear licenses shall comply with all provisions of RSA 208 relative to tagging, transportation and possession of bear. VII-a. A person holding a valid lifetime fishing license or lifetime combination hunting and fishing license, issued prior to January 1, 2011, may make an application for a saltwater license at no charge to be issued by the executive director to fish for saltwater smelt, saltwater shad, and saltwater salmonoids only. Such licenses shall be valid for a calendar year only.

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VIII.

The executive director shall, if necessary, adopt rules, pursuant to RSA 541-A, relative to the issuance and validation of the lifetime licenses. Source. 1981, 526:1. 1991, 221:1. 1999, 61:1. 2006, 17:1. 2008, 151:4. 2009, 103:11; 144:142. 2010, 17:1, eff. July 6, 2010. 2015, 36:1, eff. July 1, 2015. 2018, 346:2, eff. Jan. 1, 2019. 2025, 78:1, 2, eff. July 1, 2025.

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