Minnesota

Last updated July 2020

Contact

For game birds only or a mix of game & nongame
Lindsey Peterson
Division of Fish & Wildlife
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
500 Lafayette Road, box 20
Saint Paul, MN 55155-4020
651-259-5203
FAX: 651-297-4961
Wildlife.Permits@state.mn.us

For nongame birds (excluding bald eagles)
Heidi Cyr
Nongame Permitting
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
500 Lafayette Road, Box 25
St. Paul, MN 55155
Phone: 651-259-5107
Email: heidi.cyr@state.mn.us

For bald eagle research
Lori Naumann
Division of Ecological Resources
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
500 Lafayette Road, box 25
Saint Paul, MN 55155-4025
651-259-5148
Lori.naumann@state.mn.us

For State Listed Species (see list below)
Bridget Henning-Randa, Ph.D.
Minnesota Endangered Species Consultant
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
500 Lafayette Rd., Box 25
St. Paul, MN 55155
bridget.henning-randa@state.mn.us

Is a state permit required for banding?

Yes.

Permit application forms

  • Application Form – there is no official permit application form at this time. Applicants should send a letter on institutional letterhead (to the appropriate contact listed below). The letter of request should state exactly what activity is desired (capture/release, mark, sample collection), the methods, the location, the time frame, the species targeted, and the number of each species that will be sampled. There is no application fee.
  • Renewal – as above
  • Salvage – as above. Be sure to state in your letter requesting a permit that you would like to have authority to salvage.
  • Threatened and Endangered Species

State lands

State Parks

Contact: Tavis Westbrook
Resource Program Coordinator
Phone: 218-302-3255.

Scientific and Natural Areas Program
Overview and instructions
Application form

Prior notice

Check permit conditions. Even if not expressly required to do so, you should always contact the manager of that particular state land unit or with the owner of private land 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 adversely affect public use of the land or with the activities of private landowners.

Policies

6212.1500 SCIENTIFIC, EXHIBITION, PROPAGATION, AND EDUCATIONAL PERMITS.

Permits may be issued for scientific, education, propagation, and exhibition purposes only to individuals or institutions currently conducting programs of research or education in the fields of biology or natural history.

Endangered Species

Minnesota Administrative Code

6212.1800 GENERAL RESTRICTIONS FOR PERMITS TO POSSESS THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES.

Subpart 1. Permit requirements.

A person may not take, import, transport, purchase, sell, dispose, or possess a threatened or endangered species of plant or animal without a permit from the commissioner. Permits for the taking, importation, transportation, purchase, sale, disposal, or possession of threatened or endangered species of plants or animals, whether dead or alive, or their parts, nests, or eggs will be issued as provided by parts 6212.1800 to 6212.2300 and 6242.1200. Applications for permits from individuals or institutions must be made in writing and must be submitted as specified. The commissioner will determine whether the applicant meets the criteria for issuance of the permit.

Subpart. 2. Issuance of permits.

Permits may be issued only upon written application made by individuals or institutions currently conducting research or educational programs in the fields of biology or natural history, and that have appropriate and adequate facilities for the care, exhibition, or storage of the specimens sought to be taken, acquired, or possessed. A permit may not be issued unless the commissioner has first determined that the permitted act will not be detrimental to the species.

Subpart. 3. Permits for taking.

Permits for the taking of endangered or threatened species or their parts may be issued only to named individuals. Permits for taking are valid only for the named permittees and are not transferable. Permits solely for possession, importation, transportation, propagation, sale, or disposal may be issued in the name of an institution or individual.

Subpart. 4. Sale or transfer of specimens.

Specimens held under permit may not be sold or otherwise transferred from the custody of the permittee without the prior written approval of the commissioner, unless otherwise provided in the permit.

Subpart. 5. Offspring.

Offspring of any specimen possessed under a permit will be subject to parts6212.1800 to 6212.2300 and to all the terms and conditions set forth in the permit.

Subpart. 6. Reports.

Before January 31 of each year, each permittee who has taken any endangered or threatened species or parts during the preceding calendar year must file a report with the commissioner describing the specimens taken and their current disposition. Specimens consumed by use or otherwise destroyed must be so noted. Permittees must submit additional reports as may be required by the permit. A permit will not be renewed unless all required reports have been submitted.

Subpart. 7. Possession of permit.

Individual permittees must have their permit available for inspection by the commissioner while doing any act authorized by the permit. Permits issued in the names of institutions must be available for inspection during regular business hours.

Subpart. 8. Expiration, cancellation, and revocation of threatened and endangered permits.

All permits issued as provided by parts 6212.1800 to 6212.2300 expire on December 31 of the year of issuance, unless otherwise specified in the permit, and may be renewed.

All permits issued as provided by parts 6212.1800 to 6212.2300 are subject to immediate cancellation by the commissioner upon determination that such cancellation is necessary for the conservation of the natural resources of this state, for the welfare of particular specimens, or is in the public interest.

Violation of any of the provisions of parts 6212.1800 to 6212.2300 or the terms of any permit issued under those parts may result in immediate revocation of the permit, and may subject the permittee to other penalties established by law.

6212.2000 PERMITS FOR PREVIOUSLY ACQUIRED SPECIMENS.

Permits for specimens of endangered or threatened species, including parts, may be issued to persons who have lawfully acquired such specimens under the following conditions:

A. before May 30, 1985; or

B. before they were listed as endangered or threatened.

These permits may be issued upon the applicant’s submission of proof of having lawfully acquired the specimens before such date or before listing occurred.

Endangered

Baird’s Sparrow (Ammodramus bairdii)
Henslow’s Sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii)
Sprague’s Pipit (Anthus spragueii)
Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
Chestnut-collared Longspur (Calcarius ornatus)
Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus)
Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus)
Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)
King Rail (Rallus elegans)

Threatened

Wilson’s Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)
Common Tern (Sterna hirundo)

Special Concern

Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis)
Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus)
Nelson’s Sparrow (Ammodramus nelsoni)
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus)
Yellow Rail (Coturnicops noveboracensis)
Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)
Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens)
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Common Gallinule (Gallinula galeata)
Franklin’s Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan)
Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa)
Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla)
American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
Purple Martin (Progne subis)
Cerulean Warbler (Setophaga cerulea)
Hooded Warbler (Setophaga citrina)
Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri)
Greater Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) .
Bell’s Vireo (Vireo bellii)