1. (a) Pursuant to RSA 207:14, any person possessing wildlife to care for and rehabilitate the wildlife shall obtain a wildlife rehabilitation permit.

2. (b) There shall be 2 classes of wildlife rehabilitation permits:

   1. (1) A class I apprentice wildlife rehabilitation permittee shall:

      1. a. Be at least 18 years old;
      2. b. Be sponsored by a holder of a class II rehabilitation permit; and
      3. c. Only care for wildlife while directly supervised by the class I permittee’s sponsor; and

   2. (2) A class II wildlife rehabilitation permittee shall:

      1. a. Be at least 18 years old; and

      2. b. Either:

         1. 1. Work under the consultation and support of a licensed veterinarian and shall have satisfactorily completed 200 hours over a 2-year period as a class I apprentice wildlife rehabilitation permittee;
         2. 2. Be a licensed veterinarian; or
         3. 3. Hold a valid wildlife rehabilitator license from another state.
3. (c) An applicant for a class I apprentice rehabilitation permit shall complete the “Class I Apprentice Rehabilitation Permit Application” form, Rev 04/2026, available on the department’s website at https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/licenses-and-permits/license-forms.
4. (d) An applicant for a class II rehabilitation permit shall complete and submit the “Class II Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit Application” form, Rev 04/2026, available on the department’s website at https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/licenses-and-permits/license-forms.
5. (e) To be eligible for a class II permit, an applicant shall either be a licensed veterinarian, hold a valid wildlife rehabilitator license from another state, or shall submit a letter of support signed by the applicant’s Class II sponsor certifying that the applicant has met the 200 hour requirement in Fis 812.01(b)(2)b.1.
6. (f) Upon receipt of a complete class II application, fish and game department personnel shall inspect the applicant's premises to determine if they are adequate for the care and rehabilitation of injured or orphaned wildlife.

7. (g) To be considered adequate, facilities shall:

   1. (1) Include isolation cages for acute care that shall be of sufficient size to permit the animal to rest in its normal posture;
   2. (2) Include larger holding cages of sufficient size to permit full freedom of movement and exercise for the recovery period;
   3. (3) Be clean and well ventilated;
   4. (4) Maintain wildlife in quiet surroundings accessible only to the permittee and assistants; and
   5. (5) Comply with the housing requirements of wild animals as specified in the First Edition, 2021, “Standards for Wildlife Rehabilitation” published by the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council and available as specified in Appendix II.
8. (h) Permits shall be issued for not more than 2 years and shall expire on the second December 31 after issuance.
9. (i) The executive director shall authorize the rehabilitation of certain rabies vector species (RVS) to rehabilitators who provide a signed statement that the permittee assumes full liability and responsibility for themselves and their assistants in the care of and contact with RVS. "Rabies vector species" means raccoons, woodchucks, fox, skunks, or bats.
10. (j) Applicants for a renewal of a class I apprentice or class II Wwldlife rehabilitation permit shall complete and submit the “Class I Apprentice Rehabilitation Permit Renewal Application” or “Class II Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit Renewal Application”, Rev 04/2026, available on the department’s website at https://www.wildlife.nh.gov/licenses-and-permits/license-forms.
11. (k) Class II rehabilitators may assign assistants to work with wildlife under their permit at the facility.
12. (l) Any person who, as of October 1, 2015, was licensed by the department as a wildlife rehabilitator shall be deemed a class II wildlife rehabilitator.

Source. #6889, eff 11-21-98; ss by #7808, eff 12-25-02; ss by #9824, INTERIM, eff 11-24-10, EXPIRES: 5-23-11; amd by #9880-A, eff 3-1-11, (paras. (a)-(c) & (e)-(k)); amd by #9880-B, eff 3-1-11, (para. (d)); ss by #10868, INTERIM, eff 6-25-15, EXPIRED: 12-22-15 New. #11029, eff 1-26-16; ss by #14558, eff 4-21-26, EXPIRES: 4-21-36