Sec. 26-27. Licenses required for hunting, trapping and fishing.
Sec. 26-27. Licenses required for hunting, trapping and fishing. (a) Except as
provided in subsection (b), (c), (e) or (f) of this section and other provisions of this
chapter providing specific license exemption, no person shall take, hunt or trap, or shall
attempt to take, hunt or trap, or assist in taking, hunting or trapping, any wild bird or
mammal and no person more than sixteen years of age shall take, attempt to take, or
assist in taking any fish or bait species in the inland waters by any method, without first
having obtained a license as provided in this chapter. No person under sixteen years of
age shall hunt or trap, except as provided in section 26-38.
(b) Any landowner who has a domiciliary residence in this state, his spouse or lineal
descendants may hunt, trap or fish on land owned by him or on land leased by him and
on which he is actually domiciled, which land is not used for club, fishing or hunting
purposes, without a license, subject to the provisions of this chapter.
(c) No fishing license shall be required for any person who is rowing a boat or
operating the motor of a boat from which other persons are taking or attempting to
take fish.
(d) The taking of fish and bait species as herein provided shall be regarded as sport
fishing and the taking of such species in the inland waters by commercial methods for
commercial purposes shall be governed by other provisions of this chapter.
(e) No fishing license shall be required for any resident of the state who is participating in a fishing derby authorized in writing by the Commissioner of Environmental
Protection provided (1) no fees are charged for such derby, (2) such derby has a duration
of one day or less and (3) such derby is sponsored by a nonprofit civic service organization. Such organization shall be limited to one derby in any calendar year.
(f) The Commissioner of Environmental Protection may designate one day in each
calendar year when no license shall be required for sport fishing.
(1949 Rev., S. 4868; 1957, P.A. 348, S. 1; 1967, P.A. 71, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 148; P.A. 76-131, S. 1, 2; P.A. 81-298, S. 1,
9; P.A. 82-366, S. 2; P.A. 83-191, S. 1, 9; P.A. 85-53, S. 3; P.A. 87-30, S. 1, 2; P.A. 05-288, S. 117.)
History: 1967 act deleted prohibition in Subsec. (a) against persons under sixteen trapping without a license; 1971 act
prohibited attempting to take, hunt or trap birds or quadrupeds and attempting to take fish or bait species in Subsec. (a);
P.A. 76-131 added Subsec. (e) re exemption from licensing requirements for participants in fishing derbies; P.A. 81-298
substituted "sixteen years of age or over" for "over sixteen years" in Subsec. (a) provision requiring license to hunt, trap
or fish and prohibited trapping as well as hunting by those under sixteen except as provided in Sec. 26-38; P.A. 82-366
amended Subsec. (a) to be consistent with new license categories established by Sec. 26-27a; P.A. 83-191 amended Subsec.
(a) to exempt persons under 16 years of age from the requirement of a fishing license; P.A. 85-53 substituted "mammal"
for "quadruped" in Subsec. (a); P.A. 87-30 added Subsec. (f) authorizing the commissioner to designate a free fishing day;
P.A. 05-288 made a technical change in Subsec. (a), effective July 13, 2005.
See Sec. 26-99 re establishment of fish and game refuges.
Cited. 124 C. 280.
Cited. 2 Conn. Cir. Ct. 461.