# Natural Resources (GNR)

## Title 10. Wildlife

### Subtitle 5. Restrictions Relating to Species Hunted for Their Fur, Pelt, or Hide

#### Section 10-501

(a) In this title the following words have the meanings indicated.

(b) "Fur dealer" means any person who buys or acquires raw and green furs, skins, hides, or pelts of wild quadrupeds from any person and sells or disposes of them.

#### Section 10-502

(a) Any nonresident of the State who desires to trap furbearers, except otter or beaver, first shall procure a nonresident trapper's license in addition to any other license required. The license shall be issued only to residents of other states which grant the same trapping privileges to Maryland residents.

(b) The license shall be:

  (1) Issued for a $50 fee or a fee equal to that charged by the nonresident's home state for a similar license, whichever is greater;

  (2) Issued in accordance with the procedures for issuing nonresident hunting licenses; and

  (3) Effective for the same period as a hunter's license.

(c) In addition to the license fee, the designated person who sells and issues the license may collect a processing fee equal to 10% of the license fee, and the balance of the fee shall be paid and accounted for in the manner provided by Sec. 10-209 of this title.

#### Section 10-504

(a) A person may not hunt any muskrat, beaver, or otter in any manner except by trapping. A person may not dig into or in any manner molest or destroy any part of a muskrat, beaver, or otter den or house. A person may not possess at any time the hide or skin of any muskrat, beaver, or otter which has been caught in any way except by trapping, and any muskrat, beaver, or otter hide or skin which has been punctured by a hole which appears to be a shot or bullet hole shall be prima facie evidence that the muskrat, beaver, or otter was killed illegally.

(b) A person may not possess at any time a light for the purpose of hunting muskrats, beaver, or otter at nighttime. Possession of a light shall be prima facie evidence that the light was intended for this purpose.

(c) A landowner or the landowner's lessee shall have the exclusive right to trap for muskrats down to the mean low watermark or on marsh land adjacent to the landowner's land. A person may not enter upon or place traps upon the land without first obtaining the written consent of the landowner or the landowner's lessee.

#### Section 10-505

(a) A person may not possess, buy, sell, transport, or ship out of the State or offer to buy, sell, transport, or ship out of the State any fur or pelt of any wild quadruped, or any part of them, which has been unlawfully hunted, trapped, possessed, or transported.

(b) The possession of a green pelt or part of the pelt by any person during closed season shall be prima facie evidence that the pelt or part of the pelt was taken and possessed illegally.

(c) In addition to any other penalty provided by the provisions of this title, any person convicted of violating this section may have the person's fur dealer's or taxidermist and fur tanner's license revoked for a period not exceeding 5 years.

#### Section 10-506

(a) Subject to the exceptions of subsection (f) of this section, 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 first shall obtain a fur dealer's license from the Secretary.

(b) A person who has resided permanently in the State for a period of not less than 6 months immediately preceding the time of application may obtain a resident State fur dealer's license upon payment of a $50 fee.

(c) A nonresident may obtain a nonresident fur dealer's license upon payment of a $100 fee.

(d) Every application for a license shall contain information the Secretary requires.

(e) Every fur dealer's license issued shall expire on June 30 following the date of issuance.

(f) The Department may not require the following persons to obtain a fur dealer's license:

  (1) 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;

  (2) A person who can substantiate the fact that any fur or pelt the person possesses is bought from a licensed fur dealer or lawfully is 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;

  (3) 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;

  (4) 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, raccoon, skunk, or long-tailed weasel legally taken by that person;

  (5) 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 or take the hide or fur; and

  (6) 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.

(g) 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 at all reasonable hours for the following purposes:

  (1) To inspect the premises and holding facilities where operations are being carried on;

  (2) To inspect wildlife; and

  (3) To inspect records.

#### Section 10-507

(a) 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 also shall 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. In addition to any other penalty provided by this subtitle, any person convicted of failing to maintain and keep up-to-date a ledger as required by this subsection or of making false entries shall have the license revoked for a period of at least 1 year and not exceeding 5 years.

(b) 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 ledger is correct on forms furnished 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 furs 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. Application for renewal of a fur dealer's license shall accompany the ledger.

#### Section 10-508

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 and any law enforcement officer to enter and inspect the premises where operations are being carried on and to inspect records at any reasonable hour.

#### Section 10-509

(a) 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 on the outside.

(b) Shipping tags shall be obtained from the Secretary.

(c) Each tag shall be composed of 2 parts, and 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 immediately shall be forwarded to the Secretary.

(d) 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.

#### Section 10-510

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.

#### Section 10-511

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 of the State unless the fur or pelt is tagged or marked as required.

#### Section 10-512

(a)

  (1) Any person desiring to commercially practice the art of taxidermy or fur tanning or who desires to mount, preserve, or tan any species of wildlife for another person first shall obtain a taxidermist and fur tanner's license.

  (2) A taxidermist and fur tanner's license also shall permit the holder:

    (i) To mount, preserve, or tan any species of finfish pursuant to Title 4 of this article; and

    (ii) Except as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection, with the written approval of the Department for each specimen, to sell or dispose of any tanned, cured, or mounted specimen legally acquired but unclaimed by the customer within 30 days after written notice to the customer by certified mail.

  (3) A license holder may not sell or dispose of any tanned, cured, or mounted specimen that is a migratory game bird.

(b)

  (1) A person desiring a taxidermist and fur tanner's license shall:

    (i) Apply on forms the Secretary supplies;

    (ii) Pay a $50 annual license fee;

    (iii) Pass an examination administered by the Department; and

    (iv) Provide recent work samples for examination by the Department.

  (2) Upon receipt of the application and license fee, and examination of work samples, the Secretary may issue the license permitting the practice of taxidermy or fur tanning, as provided in the license, if the applicant has passed the examination and the work samples meet minimum professional standards, as determined by the Department.

(c) A taxidermist and fur tanner's license:

  (1) Shall expire on June 30 following the date of issuance; and

  (2) May be renewed by providing information on forms the Secretary supplies and paying the $50 annual license fee.

(d) Each taxidermist or fur tanner shall keep a ledger on a form provided by the Department indicating the name, address, telephone number and current hunting, trapping, fur dealer's, game husbandry or regulated shooting ground license number of each person, from whom any species of wildlife was purchased or received within or outside the State, the date of purchase, or receipt, and the quantity of each species of wildlife purchased or received and the date the species was delivered or returned to the customer. The ledger shall indicate the country, state, and county or political subdivision in which the species was taken and the date on which the species was taken and identify any appropriate official game possession tag number or bill of sale. The tag or bill of sale shall be attached to the wildlife. The licensee also shall include in the ledger 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 taxidermist or fur tanner's license until date of expiration and shall be kept up-to-date. In addition to any other penalty provided by this subtitle, any person convicted of failing to maintain or keep up-to-date a ledger required by this subsection or of making false entries may have the person's license revoked for a period not to exceed 5 years.

(e) 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 at all reasonable hours for the following reasons:

  (1) To inspect the premises and holding facilities where operations are being carried on;

  (2) To inspect wildlife; and

  (3) To inspect records.

#### Section 10-513

In addition to any other penalty provided by the provisions of this title, any person convicted of violating any provision of this subtitle shall be fined $5 for each wild bird or wild quadruped or any part of them mounted or possessed for mounting.

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Md. Code Ann., Nat. Res. (as displayed at mgaleg.maryland.gov, October 16, 2026)