Last updated July 2020 

Contact

Sarabeth Klueh-Mundy
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Wildlife Diversity Program
P.O. Box 98000
Baton Rouge, LA 70898
Office: (225) 765-0239
sklueh-mundy@wlf.la.gov

Is a state permit needed for banding?

Yes. A permit is needed to capture/handle wildlife Louisiana for research or monitoring purposes, whether individuals are temporarily held (e.g. bird banding) or lethally collected.

Permit application forms

• Application Form
• Renewal – same form
• Threatened and Endangered – same form, see restrictions
• Salvage – same application form

State lands

If research or collections will occur on state Wildlife Management Areas (WMA), a separate WMA Special Use Permit is required. Similarly, if collections will occur on state Refuges, a separate Letter of Permission is required.

Prior notice

Check permit conditions. As a matter of good practice, you should always contact the manager of that particular state land unit before your arrival. You want to be aware of the hunting seasons, and, of course want to be sure that your activities will not interfere with the activities of that park, wildlife management area, or other state land unit, and that your activities will not interfere with public use of the land.

Policies

Louisiana Revised Statutes, Title 56

§105.  Special permits and licenses; scientific or purpose; bow licenses; beaver permit

A.  The department may, in its discretion and upon such terms and conditions as it may prescribe, issue to accredited representatives of any public park, museum, educational or scientific institution, or of the federal government or any state government, recognized scientist, or to any other responsible person a permit to take, possess, and transport at any time within and from this state wild birds or the plumage, skins, nests, eggs, or young thereof and wild quadrupeds, the skins or young thereof; if the department is satisfied that they are to be taken or possessed for scientific, educational, experimental, or breeding purposes only and are not to be sold or otherwise disposed of by the permittee for profit, and if the permittee obligates himself to deliver to the department within sixty days after taking, and in any event before the removal thereof from the state, a detailed descriptive inventory of the wild birds, wild quadrupeds, and other things taken under the permit.

(The Louisiana wildlife regulations do not address permits for scientific research for birds; the statute is the only source of authority for the permit requirement).

Endangered Species

The Louisiana Revised Statutes (56.1904) gives the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to list species as threatened or endangered. By regulation (Louisiana Administrative Code 76.317A) the following species have been listed:

These lists change over time. Please be sure to contact the state agency for current species status.

Red Knot	Calidris canutus	T
Piping Plover	Charadrius melodus	T
Interior Least Tern	Sterna antillarum athalassos	E
Red-cockaded Woodpecker	Picoides borealis	E