Section 27-2-3.1. Hunting licenses; sportsman's license; license card carrier requirement; creation of lifetime sportsman's licenses.

   (a) Reserved.

(b) Reserved.

(c) The requirements in this title for procuring any license or permit for noncommercial hunting and fishing privileges, except for hunting alligators, shall be satisfied by a resident who procures a sportsman's license. An applicant for such license shall, prior to the issuance of the license, complete a screening questionnaire associated with the federal Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program.

(d) All licenses, stamps, or permits for noncommercial hunting and fishing privileges must be attached to or printed on a form provided by the department which must include the applicant's name, address, date of birth, and hunter safety certification number; provided, however, that each such item of information may be, but is not required to be, printed on lifetime licenses.

(e) (1) The requirements in this title for procuring any license, stamp, or permit for noncommercial hunting and fishing privileges shall be satisfied by a resident or nonresident who procures a lifetime sportsman's license.

   (2) An applicant for such license who is a resident shall, prior to the issuance of the license, provide satisfactory evidence of residency.

   (3) An applicant for a veteran's lifetime sportsman's license shall, in addition to satisfactory evidence of residency, be required to provide satisfactory evidence that he or she served more than 90 days of federal active duty military service and was honorably discharged.

   (4) An applicant for such license who is a nonresident shall not be eligible for issuance of such license unless he or she is under 16 years of age and is the grandchild of a resident who holds a valid paid lifetime sportsman's license. The resident grandparent who holds such a lifetime sportsman's license and who is the sponsor of a nonresident applicant for a lifetime sportsman's license must certify the nonresident applicant's relationship to him or her in writing to the department.

   (5) For purposes of procuring a lifetime sportsman's license, the term "residency" means a domicile within Georgia for a minimum of 12 consecutive months immediately prior to procuring such license. Satisfactory evidence of residency shall consist of a current Georgia driver's license or official Georgia identification card issued by the Department of Driver Services and at least one of the following:

      (A) A voter registration card;

      (B) A copy of the prior year's Georgia income tax return;

      (C) A current Georgia automobile registration; or

      (D) A warranty deed to property at the same address as is displayed on the Georgia driver's license.

Minors under 18 years of age shall be presumed to be residents upon proof of parent's residency as provided for in this Code section. For purposes of procuring the Type I (Infant) lifetime license, a certified copy of the birth certificate of the licensee shall be required.

(f) (1) Lifetime sportsman's licenses and fees for residents shall be as follows:

      (A) Type I (Infant), available only to those individuals under two years of age: $200.00;

      (B) Type Y (Youth), available only to those individuals from two through 15 years of age: $350.00;

      (C) Type A (Adult), available to those individuals 16 years of age or older: $500.00;

      (D) Type SD (Senior Discount), available to those individuals 60 years of age or older: $95.00;

      (E) Type S (Senior), available to those individuals 65 years of age or older: no charge;

      (F) Type V (Veterans), available only to those individuals who served more than 90 days of federal active duty military service and were honorably discharged: 80 percent of the amount of the fee specified for Type A lifetime sportsman's licenses in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph; and

      (G) Type SP (Shooting Preserve), available to any individual, resident or nonresident, and which entitles the holder to hunt pen raised game birds and fish in any private or state waters within the boundaries of a properly licensed shooting preserve: $75.00.

   (2) The fee for any lifetime sportsman's license for a nonresident, Type NR, shall be twice the amount of the fee for a Type A (Adult) lifetime sportsman's license for a resident.

(g) Lifetime sportsman's licenses shall be valid for the lifetime of the purchaser, whether resident or nonresident. Change of residency to another state shall not affect the validity of the lifetime license when hunting or fishing in Georgia.

(h) The commissioner shall revoke the lifetime sportsman's license of any person who knowingly attempts to or does purchase, obtain, or assist another person to obtain a lifetime sportsman's license by fraudulent means, without refund of any fees paid.

(i) Upon payment of a replacement fee up to $10.00, any lifetime sportsman's license other than a Type S license may be replaced if lost, stolen, or destroyed, provided that the applicant's name and lifetime license number are in the records of the department. No replacement fee shall be charged for replacement of a Type S license. Replacement fees for all other licenses shall be $3.00 per transaction, regardless of the number of licenses being replaced in a given transaction.

(j) Once a lifetime license is issued, no refunds of fees will be made except in the case of the death before age 16 years of a Type I (Infant) lifetime license holder or a Type Y (Youth) license holder, in which case a full refund of fees collected may be made upon submission of the lifetime license and any other documentation required by the department.

Code 1981, § 27-2-3.1, enacted by Ga. L. 1995, p. 946, § 4; Ga. L. 1998, p. 783, § 4; Ga. L. 1998, p. 826, § 1; Ga. L. 2001, p. 1013, § 7; Ga. L. 2002, p. 415, § 27; Ga. L. 2003, p. 654, §§ 4, 5; Ga. L. 2004, p. 338, § 1; Ga. L. 2005, p. 334, § 11-1/HB 501; Ga. L. 2007, p. 91, § 1A/HB 81; Ga. L. 2009, p. 787, § 2/HB 326; Ga. L. 2010, p. 878, § 27/HB 1387; Ga. L. 2013, p. 771, § 4/HB 155.