It is unlawful to hunt, take, or possess migratory game birds without first obtaining a migratory game bird permit. The department may not charge a fee for this permit unless approved by the General Assembly. The permit required by this section must be integrated into and made a part of all hunting licenses after final implementation of the Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service 50 C.F.R. Part 20, Migratory Bird Harvest Information Program. Migratory game birds include doves, ducks, geese, woodcock, marsh hens, rails, common snipe, common moorhens, and purple gallinules (families: Columbidae, Anatidae, Rallidae, and Scolopacidae).

South Carolina residents who have attained the age of sixty-four and hold a statewide lifetime hunting and fishing license are not required to have a state migratory game bird permit.