Recently passed legislation requires that beginning January 1, 2003, anyone who provides trapping services for profit must obtain a trapping license in order to continue to use traps to take mammals.

The law is a result of Senate Bill 1645 sponsored by Senator Byron Sher and signed by Governor Gray Davis in September.

In addition to requiring the license, the change in the law also prohibits the sale of any raw fur from a non-game or furbearing mammal taken to protect crops or property. The law does exempt landowners, tenants, and their employees who trap mammals to protect crops or property from the requirement to obtain a trapping license.

The fee for a resident trapping license is $77.75. First-time applicants must pass an examination administered by DFG's regional offices before a trapping license can be issued. Questions regarding the new law can be answered by contacting the nearest DFG office.