Sec. 26-61. Suspension of license, registration or permit. Restoration. Fines.
Sec. 26-61. Suspension of license, registration or permit. Restoration. Fines.
(a) Upon the complaint of any person concerning an alleged violation of any provision
of this chapter, any regulation issued by the commissioner or any regulation issued by
the United States Fish and Wildlife Service under the provisions of section 26-91 or
any of the provisions of section 53-204, 53-205, 53a-109, 53a-115, 53a-116 or 53a-117, the commissioner may suspend, after notice and hearing in accordance with the
provisions of chapter 54, with respect to the person who is the subject of the complaint,
any license, registration or permit issued pursuant to this chapter to such person or such
person's right to obtain any such license, registration or permit for not more than one
year, and such license, registration or permit, together with the flag or other insignia
issued by the commissioner, shall be surrendered to the commissioner or his authorized
agent.
(b) Upon the conviction of any person for any violation of any provision of this
chapter, any regulation issued by the commissioner or any regulation issued by the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service under the provisions of section 26-91 or any of
the provisions of section 53-204, 53-205, 53a-109 or 53a-115 to 53a-117, inclusive, or
upon the forfeiture of any bond taken upon any complaint, or upon the payment of any
fine for an infraction pursuant to section 51-164n, a license, registration or permit issued
pursuant to this chapter to such person by the commissioner and the right to obtain any
such license, registration or permit may, for a first violation or infraction, be suspended
by the commissioner for not more than one year, and such permit, license or registration,
together with the flag or other insignia issued by the commissioner, shall be surrendered
to the commissioner or his authorized agent, except that for a violation of any provision
of section 26-85 such permit or license or the privilege to obtain such permit or license
shall be suspended for not less than one year nor more than two years. For a second
violation of any of said laws or regulations the commissioner may suspend any such
permit, license or registration and the right to obtain any such permit, license or registration for not more than two years, except that for a second violation of any provision of
section 26-85 the suspension period shall be not less than two years nor more than five
years; for a third violation or infraction the commissioner may suspend any such permit,
license or registration and the right to obtain any such permit, license or registration for
not more than three years, except that for a third violation of any provision of section
26-85 the suspension period shall be not less than five years and may be indefinite; and
for a fourth violation or infraction within a period of ten years, the commissioner may
suspend any such permit, license or registration and the right to obtain any such permit,
license or registration for an indefinite period. Upon the conviction of any person or
upon the payment of any fine for an infraction pursuant to section 51-164n, for a violation
of any statute or any regulation issued by the commissioner concerning hunting in proximity to buildings occupied by persons or domestic animals or used for storage of flammable or combustible materials or any statute or regulation regarding shooting towards
persons, buildings or animals, the commissioner shall suspend any hunting license issued pursuant to this chapter to such person, or such person's right to obtain any such
license, for a period of one year, and such license shall be surrendered to the commissioner or his authorized agent; for a second such conviction or upon the payment of a
fine for a second such infraction within a period of five years, the commissioner shall
suspend any such license for a period of not less than two years.
(c) Any person who, under any provision of this section, has a permit, license or
registration voided or suspended or has a privilege to obtain any one or more of such
permits, licenses or registrations voided or suspended may apply to the commissioner
for the restoration or reinstatement of one or more of such permits, licenses or registrations or his privilege to obtain any such permit, license or registration, and the commissioner may hear such application and may restore or reinstate one or more of such
permits, licenses or registrations or the privilege to obtain any such permit, license or
registration.
(d) Any person who procures any permit, license or registration to which he is not
entitled or engages in fishing, hunting or trapping during the period when his permit,
license or registration is voided or suspended shall be fined not less than one hundred
nor more than two hundred dollars and all fishing, hunting or trapping permits, licenses
or registrations issued to such person shall be suspended for an indefinite period. Any
person who procures any permit, license or registration to which he is not entitled or
engages in fishing, hunting or trapping during the period when such permit, license or
registration and the privilege to obtain such a permit, license or registration are suspended for an indefinite period shall be fined not less than two hundred dollars or be
imprisoned not more than sixty days or both, and, for a further violation in case of such
indefinite suspension, shall be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than
five hundred dollars or be imprisoned for not more than one year or be both fined and
imprisoned.
(e) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any person who violates any
regulation adopted pursuant to section 26-16 and any regulation concerning sport fishing
in the marine district adopted pursuant to section 26-159a. Any person who violates
such regulations shall have committed an infraction and may pay the fine by mail or
plead not guilty under the provisions of section 51-164n.
(f) Any person whose hunting license is under suspension for a hunting safety violation as identified in section 26-31 shall successfully complete a remedial hunter education course as required by said section prior to any restoration or reinstatement by the
commissioner of his privilege to obtain a hunting license.
(g) Any person whose privilege to hunt, trap or guide has been suspended or revoked
in any jurisdiction within the United States or Canada shall be prohibited from purchasing a hunting, fishing or trapping license in this state during such period of revocation
or suspension provided the offense for which such privilege was suspended or revoked
is substantially similar to an offense described in sections 26-62, 26-74, 26-82 to 26-90,
inclusive, 53-204 and 53-205 or the regulations adopted under section 26-66 regarding
trapping, hunting before or after legal hours, hunting within five hundred feet of occupied
buildings or discharging firearms toward people or across roadways. If such person has
previously purchased a license to hunt, fish or trap in this state, the commissioner, after
notice and hearing in accordance with the provisions of chapter 54, may suspend such
license for the same period as determined in the other jurisdiction or may revoke such
license if such privilege was revoked in the other jurisdiction. Such person shall surrender such license to the commissioner or the authorized agent of the commissioner. No
person shall possess a license which has been suspended or revoked under this section.
(1949 Rev., S. 4883; 1953, 1955, S. 2467d; 1957, P.A. 33, S. 1; 1971, P.A. 41; 871, S. 105; 872, S. 257; P.A. 82-255,
S. 3; P.A. 84-99; P.A. 91-378, S. 3; P.A. 95-119, S. 4; P.A. 97-250, S. 8; P.A. 99-136, S. 1; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-1, S. 102.)
History: 1971 acts added references to permits, replaced reference to Secs. 26-106, 53-104, 53-108, 53-110 and 53-123 with reference to Secs. 53a-109 and 53a-115 to 53a-117 and replaced references to board of fisheries and game with
references to environmental protection commissioner; P.A. 82-255 extended the license suspension period from 15 to 30
days, replaced graduated fines for procuring license to which a person is not entitled or for fishing, hunting or trapping
while license is void or suspended with one fine for all cases and deemed violations of Secs. 26-16 and 26-159a infractions;
P.A. 84-99 added Subsec. (a) re the suspension of a license upon the complaint of an alleged violation, created Subsecs.
(b) to (e) from previously existing provisions, amended Subsec. (b) by deleting a provision requiring the suspension of a
license "upon the nolle of any complaint upon the payment of any sum of money or upon a suspended judgment or a
continuance nisi"; P.A. 91-378 amended Subsec. (b) to provide for minimum mandatory suspension of hunting licenses
for conviction of violation of regulations re hunting in proximity to residential areas; P.A. 95-119 amended Subsec. (b) to
include infractions as criteria for suspension of licenses and made suspension for a first violation discretionary and deleted
a minimum suspension period of 30 days and amended Subsec. (d) to require suspension of all fish and game licenses for
engaging in hunting or fishing while under suspension of the relevant license; P.A. 97-250 added new Subsec. (f) re
completion of a remedial education course prior to reinstatement of privilege to obtain hunting license; P.A. 99-136 added
Subsec. (g) re suspension or revocation of licenses of persons whose licenses have been suspended or revoked in certain
other jurisdictions; May 9 Sp. Sess. P.A. 02-1 amended Subsec. (g) to remove reference to regulations adopted under Sec.
26-31b re guide services, effective January 1, 2003.
Cited. 23 CA 272.