Authority: IC 14-22-2-6; IC 14-22-21

Affected: IC 4-21.5; IC 14-22

Sec. 5. (a) A license is required under this section for a person who performs taxidermy services on a wild animal for another person.

(b) A person shall apply for a taxidermist license on a departmental form.

(c) A person issued a license under this section must maintain accurate records, on a calendar year basis, showing the names and addresses of persons from or to whom wild animals were received or delivered. The records shall:

1. (1) include the:

   1. (A) species and numbers of wild animals; and
   2. (B) dates of receipt and delivery; and
2. (2) be retained at the premises of the person issued the license for at least two (2) years after the end of the license year.

A copy of the records must be provided to a conservation officer upon request.

(d) A person issued a license under this section shall not accept delivery of a carcass or any part or portion of a wild animal unless the carcass, part, or portion of a wild animal is tagged with the following information:

1. (1) The name and address of the person making delivery.
2. (2) The species of animal.

3. (3) The

   1. date, manner, and
   2. location, including the county and state or country (if taken outside the United States), where the animal was obtained.

(e) A person issued a license under this section shall not remove the tag described in subsection (d) from the carcass, part, or portion of a wild animal except during active taxidermy operations.

(f) A person issued a license under this section may sell a lawfully acquired and mounted specimen of wild animal, where the:

1. (1) tag is affixed; and
2. (2) sale is immediately recorded in a log book.

(g) A person issued a license under this section shall not possess a wild animal taken outside the season except under a permit obtained from the department under this subsection. A permit for a special taxidermy mount of a protected species may be granted under this subsection only to an agency or institution that engages in wildlife education or research as a primary function.

(h) Any:

1. (1) record, tag, log book, or other documentation required under this section; and
2. (2) storage or work area;

of a person issued a license under this section shall be made available upon request for inspection by a conservation officer.

(i) A federal taxidermy permit is required to perform taxidermy work on any migratory bird except a mute swan.

(j) A license may be suspended, denied, or revoked under IC 4-21.5 if the license holder fails to comply with any of the following:

1. (1) A provision of a license issued under this section.
2. (2) IC 14-22-21.

(Natural Resources Commission; 312 IAC 9-10-5; filed May 12, 1997, 10:00 a.m.: 20 IR 2729; readopted filed Jul 28, 2003, 12:00 p.m.: 27 IR 286; filed Jun 23, 2006, 2:24 p.m.: 20060719-IR-312050214FRA; readopted filed Nov 24, 2008, 11:08 a.m.: 20081210-IR-312080672RFA; filed Jul 6, 2010, 1:55 p.m.: 20100804-IR-312090616FRA; readopted filed May 20, 2014, 9:43 a.m.: 20140618-IR-312140017RFA; readopted filed Sep 18, 2019, 1:16 p.m.: 20191016-IR-312190325RFA; readopted filed Mar 25, 2025, 9:50 a.m.: 20250423-IR-312240574RFA)