reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-10 - Aquaculture › Section 20-10-13.1. - Cultivated plants or animals — Exemption from certain wild fishery restrictions.

§ 20-10-13.1. Cultivated plants or animals — Exemption from certain wild fishery restrictions.
(a)
Aquaculture activities conducted in a manner consistent with permit and license conditions and in accordance with the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to this chapter, and aquaculture products harvested for sale as a result of those activities, shall be exempt from the following statutory and regulatory restrictions governing wild fisheries: seasons, bag limits, methods of harvest, and, except for quahaugs (Mercenaria mercenaria), minimum sizes.
(b)
The possessor of aquaculture products subject to these exemptions shall have the burden of proof that the products were legally acquired and possessed. In accordance with applicable rules and regulations governing aquaculture products, proper tags and bills of sale shall constitute the primary means for satisfying this burden of proof.
(c)
Aquaculturists are prohibited from harvesting for sale to a shellfish dealer for human consumption quahaugs (Mercenaria mercenaria) with a hinge width of less than one inch (1").
(d)
Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (c) above, the director of the department of environmental management is authorized to promulgate regulations establishing a special exemption permit that would exempt department of health-licensed food processing facilities from the one-inch-minimum-size restriction governing bay quahogs, pursuant to § 20-6-11(b).
History of Section.
P.L. 2002, ch. 47, § 11; P.L. 2004, ch. 430, § 2; P.L. 2004, ch. 507, § 2.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-10 - Aquaculture › Section 20-10-14. - Emergency closure of areas subject to permit.

§ 20-10-14. Emergency closure of areas subject to permit.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, or any other provision of law, if the director finds, or has cause to believe, that an aquaculture activity is causing, or is likely to cause, an immediate danger to marine life or the environment of the coastal waters of the state, the director shall notify the CRMC. The CRMC shall immediately order all permittees affected by that notice to show cause why their aquaculture activities should not be terminated, and any aquaculture species or paraphernalia removed from the waters of the state. The CRMC shall proceed to hold a public hearing and issue its order with respect to the hearing, within a reasonable period. In its order following the hearing, the CRMC may direct the temporary or permanent suspension of aquaculture activities in the affected area, removal of equipment or animals, or any other measures as shall be deemed necessary for the protection of the marine life and environment of the waters of the state, including the forfeiture to, and destruction by, the state of any plant or animal species.
History of Section.
P.L. 1980, ch. 219, § 2.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-10 - Aquaculture › Section 20-10-15. - Authority to enter and inspect.

§ 20-10-15. Authority to enter and inspect.
The director shall have the authority to enter and inspect any and all areas subject to an aquaculture permit for the purpose of determining compliance with the terms and provisions of the permit.
History of Section.
P.L. 1980, ch. 219, § 2.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-10 - Aquaculture › Section 20-10-16. - Penalties.

§ 20-10-16. Penalties.
(a)
Any person who conducts aquaculture activities in excess of those authorized by an aquaculture permit shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to imprisonment not exceeding one year or a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both. In addition to that fine and/or imprisonment, all works, improvements, fish, and animal and plant life involved in the project may be forfeited to the state.
(b)
Any person damaging, disturbing, or interfering with any area subject to an aquaculture permit or any person damaging, disturbing, interfering, or taking by any means whatsoever, or possessing the cultivated species in an area subject to an aquaculture permit, without the permission of the permittee, is guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to imprisonment not exceeding one year or a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both. In addition to that fine and/or imprisonment, all vessels, dredges, tongs, rakes, and other implements used to damage, disturb, interfere, or take cultivated species in those areas may be forfeited to the state.
History of Section.
P.L. 1980, ch. 219, § 2; P.L. 2002, ch. 47, § 10.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-10 - Aquaculture › Section 20-10-16.1. - License or permit suspension or revocation.

§ 20-10-16.1. License or permit suspension or revocation.
The permit or license of any person who has violated the provisions of this chapter, or the rules and regulations issued pursuant to it, including anyone holding a license or permit found guilty of a violation in accordance with § 20-10-16(b), may be suspended or revoked by the CRMC or the director as the CRMC or the director shall determine by regulation. Any person aggrieved by an order of suspension or revocation may appeal this order in accordance with the provisions of the Administrative Procedures Act, chapter 35 of title 42.
History of Section.
P.L. 2002, ch. 47, § 11.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-10 - Aquaculture › Section 20-10-17. - Arrest, seizure, and prosecution of violators.

§ 20-10-17. Arrest, seizure, and prosecution of violators.
(a)
Any police officer authorized to make arrests, the director, and conservation officers appointed under the authority of § 20-1-6 shall be empowered:
(1)
To enforce all laws, rules, and regulations relating to this chapter;
(2)
To execute all warrants and search warrants for the violation of laws, rules, and regulations relating to this chapter;
(3)
To serve subpoenas issued for the trial of all offenses hereunder;
(4)
To arrest, without a warrant and on view, any person found violating any law, rule, or regulation relating to this chapter; take that person before a court having jurisdiction for trials; detain that person in custody at the expense of the state until arraignment; and to make and execute complaints within any district, to the justice or clerk of the court, against any person for any of the offenses enumerated under this chapter, committed within the district.
(b)
The director, and the director’s deputies and assistants, may, by virtue of their respective offices, make complaints of any violation of this chapter, and they shall not be required to give recognizance or to furnish surety for costs or be liable for costs on those complaints.
History of Section.
P.L. 1980, ch. 219, § 2; P.L. 2017, ch. 451, § 29.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-10 - Aquaculture › Section 20-10-18. - Severability.

§ 20-10-18. Severability.
If any provision of this chapter, or any rule, regulation, or determination made under this chapter, or the application of this chapter to any person, agency, or circumstance, is held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of this chapter, or the rule, regulation, or determination, and the application of those provisions to other persons, agencies, or circumstances shall not be affected. The invalidity of any section or sections or parts of any section or sections of this chapter shall not affect the validity of the remainder of this chapter.
History of Section.
P.L. 1980, ch. 219, § 2.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-11 - Freshwater Fishing › Section 20-11-1. - Fishing for which license required.

§ 20-11-1. Fishing for which license required.
No person fifteen (15) years old or older shall catch or take any fish in any freshwater stream or freshwater pond within this state, or place or operate or superintend any device for the purpose of taking or catching fish in any of those waters, without having first obtained a license; provided, however, that a license shall not be required of any resident of this state, or the members of the resident’s immediate family, to fish in any brook or pond running through or bordering upon land owned or leased by the resident and on which the resident is actually domiciled, nor those individuals exempted under § 20-2-31.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3; P.L. 1986, ch. 549, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-11 - Freshwater Fishing › Section 20-11-2. - Closed season.

§ 20-11-2. Closed season.
No person shall catch, or attempt to catch, or take any species of fish in any pond or stream stocked with trout by the department of environmental management or in any waters set apart by the department in which trout might be found, except during the open seasons, and subject to the catch and size limits, and regulations as to the method of taking, as established by the director pursuant to § 20-1-12.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-11 - Freshwater Fishing › Section 20-11-3. - Fishing devices allowed.

§ 20-11-3. Fishing devices allowed.
Unless otherwise specified by regulations adopted by the department of environmental management, only a rod and reel or other device held in and operated by hand shall be used to catch, or attempt to catch, fish in the freshwaters of the state, except that suckers, fall fish, and carp may be taken by snares, spears, or bow and arrow, and minnows may be taken as provided in §§ 20-11-7 — 20-11-9. No person shall place, operate, or superintend more than two (2) of those devices for the purpose of taking or catching fish at any time, and no more than three (3) hooks may be attached to each device; provided, however, that for the purpose of fishing through ice upon the surface of any stream or freshwater pond, any person may place, operate, or superintend five (5) lines, with a single hook upon each and held by any device designed for that purpose, and provided further that every one of those lines shall be attended by a person lawfully permitted to catch fish.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-11 - Freshwater Fishing › Section 20-11-4. - Artificially cultivated fish.

§ 20-11-4. Artificially cultivated fish.
Nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to prohibit the taking and possession, at any time of the year, fish artificially cultivated in private ponds. For the purpose of this section, a “private pond” is defined as a body of water that is completely in the ownership of one taxpayer.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-11 - Freshwater Fishing › Section 20-11-5. - Sale of freshwater fish.

§ 20-11-5. Sale of freshwater fish.
No person shall sell, or offer for sale, within this state, any trout, black bass, pickerel, northern pike, Atlantic salmon, American shad, or yellow perch taken from any freshwater streams, rivers, ponds, or lakes within the jurisdiction of this state, excepting any of these fish that are artificially cultivated in private ponds as authorized by law.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-11 - Freshwater Fishing › Section 20-11-6. - Stocking of streams and ponds.

§ 20-11-6. Stocking of streams and ponds.
No person shall stock any freshwater stream or pond within this state with any species of fish, or place or liberate any fish in any freshwater stream or pond within this state, without having first obtained a permit from the department of environmental management. No person shall place, operate, or superintend any device intended for the purpose of taking or catching fish in any private pond, brook, stream, or reserve, or any other place made, constructed, or used for the purpose of breeding or growing fish, without the consent of the proprietor or lessee.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-11 - Freshwater Fishing › Section 20-11-7. - License required for selling freshwater minnows.

§ 20-11-7. License required for selling freshwater minnows.
It shall be unlawful for any person to sell or barter, or engage in the business of taking or catching for the purpose of selling or bartering, freshwater live minnows for bait, or to possess more than one hundred (100) freshwater live minnows, without first procuring a license from the department of environmental management. For the purpose of this chapter, “freshwater minnows” shall be defined to include all minnows and the young of all species of freshwater fish except the game species, trout, northern pike, pickerel, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, shad, Atlantic salmon, and alewives.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3; P.L. 1983, ch. 107, § 2.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-11 - Freshwater Fishing › Section 20-11-8. - Authorized traps, seines, and nets.

§ 20-11-8. Authorized traps, seines, and nets.
Freshwater minnows, not including the young of any species of game fish, may be lawfully taken for bait with minnow traps, dip nets, and seines of the dimensions of not more than eight feet (8′) in length and four feet (4′) in depth and having a mesh not larger than one-quarter of an inch (¼") in any waters of this state. The possession and use of minnow seines larger than the dimensions specified in this section, unless otherwise provided, shall be unlawful.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-11 - Freshwater Fishing › Section 20-11-9. - Larger seines used by licensees.

§ 20-11-9. Larger seines used by licensees.
Minnow seines of greater dimensions than authorized in § 20-11-8 may be lawfully possessed and used by a person licensed under this chapter, in the waters specified by the director of environmental management; provided, that no minnow seines so licensed shall exceed fifty feet (50′) in length and eight feet (8′) in depth and shall have a mesh larger than one-quarter of an inch (¼"); provided further, that upon the payment of an additional ten dollars ($10.00) for each twenty-five feet (25′), a seine over fifty feet (50′) in length and up to one hundred feet (100′) can be used.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-11 - Freshwater Fishing › Section 20-11-10. - Injurious substances.

§ 20-11-10. Injurious substances.
No person shall place, deposit, or explode any substance injurious to the health or life of fish in any stream or freshwater pond within this state; provided, however, a person may obtain a permit issued by the director of environmental management to use certain chemicals for the eradication of vegetation and control of fish populations under regulations promulgated by the director.
History of Section.
P.L. 1982, ch. 30, § 4.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-11 - Freshwater Fishing › Section 20-11-20. - Penalties.

§ 20-11-20. Penalties.
Any person who violates any provision of this chapter, or who violates any rule or regulation made under the provisions of this chapter, shall be guilty of a civil violation and be subject to a fine of one hundred dollars ($100) for each offense. Jurisdiction over violations of this chapter shall be with the traffic tribunal.
History of Section.
P.L. 1993, ch. 372, § 2; P.L. 2007, ch. 253, § 4; P.L. 2007, ch. 294, § 4.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-11 - Freshwater Fishing › Section 20-11-21. - Jurisdiction.

§ 20-11-21. Jurisdiction.
Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, the traffic tribunal shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all violations specified in this chapter.
History of Section.
P.L. 1993, ch. 372, § 2; P.L. 2007, ch. 253, § 4; P.L. 2007, ch. 294, § 4.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-12 - Fish Cultivation › Section 20-12-1. - Cultivation of inland fish.

§ 20-12-1. Cultivation of inland fish.
The department of environmental management shall be empowered to introduce, protect, and cultivate fish in the inland waters of the state, and to construct, maintain, and operate fish cultivation and breeding facilities and undertake fish cultivation projects within the state as may be, in the opinion of the director, appropriate. The director may take fish from the fisheries of the state for any purpose connected with fish culture or for scientific observation.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-12 - Fish Cultivation › Section 20-12-2. - Acquisition of land for fish cultivation.

§ 20-12-2. Acquisition of land for fish cultivation.
For the purpose of protecting and propagating fish and providing fishing preserves, the director of environmental management may, in the name and for the use of the state, and subject to approval of the state properties committee, acquire, by gift, lease, or purchase, land, freshwater streams, lakes, or ponds, or any part thereof or rights and interests therein.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-12 - Fish Cultivation › Section 20-12-3. - Freshwater hatcheries.

§ 20-12-3. Freshwater hatcheries.
The department of environmental management shall establish and maintain freshwater hatcheries in this state for the purpose of providing freshwater and anadromous game fish to be used by the department in the stocking of the ponds and streams of the state. All of the output of those hatcheries not so used shall be sold at a fair-market price and for cash only, and the money received shall be turned in to the general treasury for the use of the state.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-12 - Fish Cultivation › Section 20-12-4. - Fishways.

§ 20-12-4. Fishways.
For the purpose of providing for the passage of anadromous fish species to their traditional spawning grounds in freshwater, the department of environmental management is authorized and directed to construct fishways around or through existing dams in the rivers and streams of this state. The owners of those dams shall cooperate with the department of environmental management and shall not be liable for any damage as the result of the construction of the fishways.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-12 - Fish Cultivation › Section 20-12-5. - Fishing prohibited in or near waters set aside.

§ 20-12-5. Fishing prohibited in or near waters set aside.
No person shall catch, or attempt to catch, any fish, or use any seine for catching fish, in waters acquired by the director of environmental management for fish cultivation projects, or within one half (½) mile from the mouth or outlet of any fish cultivation project; provided, however, the director may, by regulation adopted pursuant to § 20-1-12, or by special permit, allow persons to fish at or near a fish cultivation project.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-12 - Fish Cultivation › Section 20-12-6. - Obstructions to fish culture.

§ 20-12-6. Obstructions to fish culture.
The director of environmental management may seize, and remove summarily if need be, all obstructions erected to hinder the passage of fish or that are illegally erected to obstruct, or in any way impede, the growth and culture of fish; and every person rebuilding or continuing any obstruction after it has been removed and notification has been given by the director, shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars ($500) for each offense.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-12 - Fish Cultivation › Section 20-12-7. - Violations as to fish cultivation projects.

§ 20-12-7. Violations as to fish cultivation projects.
No person shall take any fish or fish spawn, or any apparatus used in hatching or protecting fish, from any pond, lake, river, or stream stocked with, or set apart by, the director of environmental management, by any city or town, or by private parties, without the consent of the director, city or town council, or private party, nor shall any person violate any rule or regulation adopted regarding fish cultivation projects.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-12 - Fish Cultivation › Section 20-12-8. - Annual appropriations.

§ 20-12-8. Annual appropriations.
The general assembly shall annually appropriate any sum it may deem necessary to carry into effect the provisions of this chapter.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-1. - License required — Hunting on own land.

§ 20-13-1. License required — Hunting on own land.
No person shall hunt, pursue, take, or kill any wild bird or mammal and any vertebrates in this state, or attempt so to do, without having first obtained a license; provided, that nothing in this chapter shall be construed as affecting the right of a bona fide resident of this state, or the resident’s immediate family, to hunt, without a license, on land owned by the resident, or land leased by the resident, and on which he or she is actually domiciled, and which land is used exclusively for agricultural purposes, and not for club shooting purposes, nor as affecting, in any way, the provisions of the laws relating to trespass, nor as authorizing the pursuit, taking, wounding, or killing, or the possession, of wild birds or mammals and any vertebrates contrary to any laws now in force or that may be enacted.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-2. - Safety instruction — Certificate of competency — Liability.

§ 20-13-2. Safety instruction — Certificate of competency — Liability.
(a)
The department of environmental management shall formulate courses of instruction in safe hunting practices and the handling and use of firearms and/or bow and arrow for persons applying for a license for the first time and shall designate one or more competent persons or organizations to give that instruction. Any person or organization so designated shall give safety instruction without charge to any person requesting instruction and shall, upon the successful completion of the course, forward the name of that person to the department. The department shall issue a certificate of competency to that person. The department may designate the police authorities of the several cities and towns to give safety instruction.
(b)
There shall be no civil liability incurred, and no cause of action of any nature shall arise, against any member of the department of environmental management, its agents, servants, or employees, as a result of any decisions made by the department of environmental management, its members, agents, servants, or employees, under this section.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-2.1. - Availability of safety instruction.

§ 20-13-2.1. Availability of safety instruction.
The department of environmental management shall make available the safety instruction required by § 20-13-2 on a continuing basis throughout the year at sites throughout the state for the convenience of the public. In no event shall safety instruction be offered less frequently than once each month. The department shall publish the dates and location of instruction in newspapers of general circulation.
History of Section.
P.L. 1982, ch. 296, § 1.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-3. - Appeal of refusal of certificate.

§ 20-13-3. Appeal of refusal of certificate.
Any person who has been refused designation as having successfully completed the courses taken under the provisions of § 20-13-2 may appeal that refusal to the director of environmental management who shall make the final determination of the competency of the applicant.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-4. - Certificate of competency required for initial license.

§ 20-13-4. Certificate of competency required for initial license.
(a)
No license to hunt shall be issued to any person unless that person has held a hunting license in a prior year or unless he or she presents to the licensing agent a certificate of competency issued under § 20-13-2, or under an equivalent hunter safety program adopted by any other state; provided, that in the case of those qualifying only for use of archery equipment, the licensing agent shall mark across the face of the license “archery only.” A hunting license designated “archery only” is limited to the use of bows and arrows while hunting or pursuing game in this state. Each agent shall transmit all competency certificates presented to the agent to the department of environmental management, along with the reports required to be filed pursuant to § 20-2-3.
(b)
Any person who is serving in, or who has been honorably discharged from, the army, navy, air force, marine corps, or coast guard, or any women’s auxiliary branch, is not required to obtain a certificate of competency under this section or § 20-13-2.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-5. - Issuance of licenses.

§ 20-13-5. Issuance of licenses.
(a)
Authorized licensing agents, shall, upon the application of any eligible person and the payment of the license fee, issue to that person a license to pursue, hunt, and kill game in the state during the open season with firearms or by bow and arrow with an archer’s permit; provided, however, that no license shall be granted to or possessed by:
(1)
Any person under fifteen (15) years of age; provided, however, a junior hunting license may be obtained for persons age twelve (12) to fourteen (14) years of age upon the completion of a basic hunter’s safety course; and further provided, that they shall hunt only in the immediate company of a qualified, licensed adult twenty-one (21) years of age or over;
(2)
Any person who has been convicted of a crime of violence, or who is a fugitive from justice, as defined in § 11-47-2 of the Firearms Act; or
(3)
Any person who is under guardianship, treatment, or confinement by virtue of being a mental incompetent; or who has been adjudicated or is under treatment or confinement as a drug addict; or who has been adjudicated or is under treatment or confinement as a habitual drunkard.
(b)
Any person affected by the provisions of subsection (a)(3), other than a person who has been pronounced criminally insane by a competent medical authority, after a lapse of a period of five (5) years from the date of being pronounced cured by a competent medical authority, may obtain a license upon the presentation of an affidavit issued by a competent medical authority to the effect that that person is a mentally stable person and a proper person to possess a hunting license. If that person has no other disqualifying record, he or she will be allowed to purchase and possess a hunting license.
(c)
Every hunting license shall bear the name, age, occupation, place of residence, and an identifying description of the licensee; and shall expire on the last day of February next succeeding the date of issue; and may be revoked within the discretion of the director of environmental management. Every hunting license shall plainly and conspicuously indicate upon its face the year of issuance and shall be in the form prescribed by the director.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3; P.L. 2016, ch. 130, § 2; P.L. 2016, ch. 136, § 2.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-6. - Export privileges of nonresident licensees.

§ 20-13-6. Export privileges of nonresident licensees.
Each nonresident hunting license shall enable the licensee to carry from the state not more than a two-day (2) bag limit of native game birds or animals nor more than the limit of migratory birds set by federal regulations; provided, that the owner shall carry them open to view for inspection.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-7. - Shooting in proximity to occupied buildings.

§ 20-13-7. Shooting in proximity to occupied buildings.
It is unlawful for any person, while hunting or pursuing wild birds or wild animals in this state, to shoot or discharge any firearm or other deadly weapon within five hundred feet (500′) of any occupied dwelling house, residence, or other building occupied by human beings, or any barn, stable, or other building used in connection therewith, without the specific permission of the owner or tenant.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-8. - Loaded weapons in vehicles.

§ 20-13-8. Loaded weapons in vehicles.
It is unlawful for any person to have in his or her possession a loaded rifle or loaded shotgun or a rifle or shotgun from the magazine of which all shells and cartridges have not been removed, in or on any vehicle or conveyance or its attachments while upon or along any public highway, road, lane, or trail within this state; provided, however, that the provisions of this section shall not apply to deputy sheriffs, the superintendent and members of the state police, prison or jail wardens or their deputies, members of the city or town police force, or other duly appointed law enforcement officers, including conservation officers and park police, nor to members of the army, navy, air force, and marine corps of the United States, the national guard or organized reserves, when on duty, or officers or employees of the United States authorized by law to carry a concealed firearm, nor to any civilian guard or criminal investigator carrying sidearms or a concealed firearm in the performance of his or her official duties under the authority of the commanding officer of the military establishment in the state of Rhode Island where he or she is employed by the United States.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3; P.L. 2012, ch. 324, § 50.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-9. - Hunting along or across highways.

§ 20-13-9. Hunting along or across highways.
It is unlawful for any person to hunt, pursue, kill, or shoot at any bird or animal along, upon, or across any public highway in this state.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-10. - Carrying of weapon while under the influence of liquor or drugs.

§ 20-13-10. Carrying of weapon while under the influence of liquor or drugs.
It is unlawful to hunt anywhere in this state, or to enter any of the fields or woods, or to enter upon any lands or water within or bordering this state, while possessing a firearm or other weapon for the purpose of hunting when intoxicated or under the influence of intoxicating or controlled substances.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-11. - Maximum size of hunting parties.

§ 20-13-11. Maximum size of hunting parties.
It is unlawful for more than five (5) persons to hunt in unison, or to cooperate in any manner with each other to hunt, for wild birds or wild animals of any kind.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-12. - Reports of hunting injuries.

§ 20-13-12. Reports of hunting injuries.
Every person causing an injury to a human being by gunfire while hunting; or inflicting an injury upon himself or herself with firearms while hunting; or inflicting an injury upon himself or herself while trapping shall make a report to the department of environmental management within seventy-two (72) hours after the injury, unless that person is physically incapable of making the required report, in which event it is the duty of that person to designate some other person to file the report within the specified time.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-13. - Restriction on size of weapons and ammunition.

§ 20-13-13. Restriction on size of weapons and ammunition.
Whoever uses or has in his or her possession while hunting in this state any rifle: (a) larger than a twenty-two (22) caliber rim fire rifle; or (b) other than a muzzle loading rifle; or (c) other than any shotgun and shells loaded with ball, bullets, slug; or shot larger than number two (no. 2) shot, shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500) or imprisoned not exceeding thirty (30) days, or both; provided, however, that from April 1 to September 30, both dates inclusive, no center fire rifles larger than .229 caliber may be used during daylight hours; and provided further, that persons hunting water fowl in a blind or over decoys may use steel shot of size number one (no. 1) or BB.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3; P.L. 1984, ch. 417, § 1; P.L. 1988, ch. 364, § 1; P.L. 2006, ch. 81, § 1; P.L. 2006, ch. 91, § 1.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-14. - Sale of game prohibited.

§ 20-13-14. Sale of game prohibited.
It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, or offer for sale, within this state, at any season of the year, any wild bird or mammal or any vertebrate, or parts thereof, except as provided elsewhere in this title; provided, however, that this section shall not be construed to prohibit the sale of inedible parts of game, such as antlers, hides, feet, or tails.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-15. - Failure to render assistance to injured person.

§ 20-13-15. Failure to render assistance to injured person.
Any person causing an injury to another person by firearm or arrow while hunting failing to render assistance to the injured person shall, in addition to any other penalties provided by law, be subject to a fine of up to one thousand dollars ($1,000) or imprisonment for up to one year, or both.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-16. - Harassment of hunters, trappers, and fishers prohibited.

§ 20-13-16. Harassment of hunters, trappers, and fishers prohibited.
(a)
No person shall obstruct or interfere with the lawful taking of wildlife by another person at the location where the activity is taking place with intent to prevent the lawful taking.
(b)
A person violates this section when he or she intentionally or knowingly:
(1)
Drives or disturbs wildlife for the purpose of disrupting the lawful taking of wildlife where another person is engaged in the process of lawfully taking wildlife;
(2)
Blocks, impedes, or otherwise harasses another person who is engaged in the process of lawfully taking wildlife;
(3)
Uses natural or artificial visual, aural, olfactory, or physical stimuli to affect wildlife behavior in order to hinder or prevent the lawful taking of wildlife;
(4)
Erects barriers with the intent to deny ingress or egress to areas where the lawful taking of wildlife may occur;
(5)
Interjects himself or herself into the line of fire;
(6)
Affects the condition or placement of personal or public property intended for use in the lawful taking of wildlife in order to impair its usefulness or prevent its use; or
(7)
Enters or remains upon private lands without the permission of the owner, or the owner’s agent, with intent to violate this section.
(c)
A violation of this section is a civil violation for which a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) may be adjudged. The traffic tribunal shall have jurisdiction to hear and determine all violations specified in this section.
History of Section.
P.L. 1994, ch. 312, § 2; P.L. 1998, ch. 441, § 17; P.L. 2021, ch. 98, § 2, effective July 1, 2021; P.L. 2021, ch. 99, § 2, effective July 1, 2021.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-13 - Hunting and Hunting Safety › Section 20-13-17. - Injunctive relief — Damages.

§ 20-13-17. Injunctive relief — Damages.
(a)
The district court may enjoin conduct that would be in violation of § 20-13-16, upon petition by a person affected or who reasonably may be affected by this conduct, upon a showing that this conduct is threatened or that it has occurred on a particular premises in the past and that it is not unreasonable to expect that under similar circumstances it will be repeated.
(b)
The district court may award damages to any person adversely affected by a violation of § 20-13-16, which may include an award for punitive damages. In addition to other items of special damage, the measure of damages may include expenditures of the affected person for license and permit fees, travel guides, special equipment and supplies, to the extent that those expenditures were rendered futile by the prevention of the taking of a wild animal.
History of Section.
P.L. 1994, ch. 312, § 2.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-14 - Birds › Section 20-14-1. - Birds protected.

§ 20-14-1. Birds protected.
(a)
No person shall pursue, hunt with intent to kill, take, destroy, or have in his or her possession any wild bird or birds at any season of the year unless harvested or taken in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the director. Possession of any bird during the time when the taking of birds is prohibited shall be evidence that the bird was taken in violation of this section, and each bird possessed in violation of this section shall constitute a separate and distinct offense.
(b)
This section shall not be construed to apply to any species of birds for which: (1) A federal depredation permit/order or a control permit/order has been issued in accordance with applicable federal law; or (2) A state depredation permit has been issued in accordance with § 20-14-1.1.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3; P.L. 2002, ch. 327, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 162, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 197, § 1.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-14 - Birds › Section 20-14-1.1. - Bird depredation and control permits and orders.

§ 20-14-1.1. Bird depredation and control permits and orders.
(a)
A person may petition and be issued a depredation permit/order or control permit/order from the director, or his or her designee, in accordance with applicable federal law, for the taking of birds when found committing depredations upon agricultural crops, livestock, or wildlife, or when concentrated in such numbers and manner as to constitute a health or public safety hazard or other nuisance.
(b)
Before any state depredation permits/orders or control permits/orders are issued, the director shall promulgate rules and regulations, in accordance with applicable federal law, establishing standards governing the issuance of the permits/orders and other measures necessary for the control of birds causing depredation or constituting a health or public safety hazard or other nuisance.
History of Section.
P.L. 2002, ch. 327, § 2; P.L. 2008, ch. 162, § 1; P.L. 2008, ch. 197, § 1.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-14 - Birds › Section 20-14-2. - Destruction of nest or eggs.

§ 20-14-2. Destruction of nest or eggs.
No person shall willfully disturb or destroy the nest or eggs of any wild bird, except pursuant to a program authorized by the director or for which a federal or state depredation permit has been issued.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3; P.L. 2002, ch. 327, § 1.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-14 - Birds › Section 20-14-3. - Species not protected.

§ 20-14-3. Species not protected.
Sections 20-14-1 and 20-14-2 shall not be construed to apply to the killing or destruction of nests or eggs of English or European house sparrows
(Passer domesticus),
or European starlings
(Sternus vulgaris).
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-14 - Birds › Section 20-14-4. - Open season on migratory game birds.

§ 20-14-4. Open season on migratory game birds.
The open season for hunting and the bag limits for migratory game birds shall be no less restrictive than the open season and bag limit fixed for those birds by the regulations of the United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, made under the provisions of an act of Congress relating to migratory birds.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-14 - Birds › Section 20-14-5. - Bag limits on game birds.

§ 20-14-5. Bag limits on game birds.
During the open season for the hunting of game birds, as declared by the director in regulations adopted pursuant to § 20-1-12, a duly licensed person may take in any one day no more game birds than the bag limit established for game birds in the regulations. Possession of game birds in the field in excess of the numbers allowed in the bag limit established for game birds shall be evidence of the taking or killing of them; a person violating the provisions of this section shall be fined no more than fifty dollars ($50.00) for each bird in excess of the bag limit.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-14 - Birds › Section 20-14-6. - Export of birds.

§ 20-14-6. Export of birds.
No person shall carry or send beyond the limits of this state more than a two-day (2) bag limit of game birds.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-14 - Birds › Section 20-14-7. - Prohibited methods of taking.

§ 20-14-7. Prohibited methods of taking.
(a)
No person shall hunt, pursue, take, or attempt to take, upland or migratory game birds over any area that has been baited. For the purposes of this section a “baited area” is that on which salt, corn, wheat, or other grains have been scattered to lure, attract, or entice those birds to, on, or over, where hunters are attempting to take them and shall not be construed to include areas where corn, wheat, or other grains are scattered as the result of normal agricultural operations.
(b)
No person shall hunt, pursue, take, or attempt to take migratory game birds by the use or aid of live birds as decoys.
(c)
No person shall hunt, pursue, take, or attempt to take wild birds by the use of an electronically amplified recording of bird calls or sounds. However, this provision does not apply to crows.
(d)
No person shall take, kill, or destroy any wild bird by means of any trap, snare, net, spring, crossbow, rifle, pistol, fishhook, poison, drug, explosive, or stupefying substance, nor shall any person construct, set, maintain, or repair any of these devices for the purpose of taking, killing, or destroying wild birds.
(e)
No person shall shoot, or attempt to shoot, migratory game birds by means other than a shotgun of size ten (10) gauge or smaller, capable of holding three (3) or fewer shells, or a long bow (straight limb, reflex, recurve, and compound bow) and arrow.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3; P.L. 1987, ch. 612, § 1; P.L. 1988, ch. 84, § 18.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-14 - Birds › Section 20-14-8. - Watchaug Pond and Powaget Brooks.

§ 20-14-8. Watchaug Pond and Powaget Brooks.
No person shall take, kill, destroy, or pursue or in any manner molest any wild bird in any season of the year in that part of the town of Charlestown known as Watchaug Pond and Powaget Brooks or within one hundred (100) yards of the shore or banks of the Watchaug Pond and Powaget Brooks.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-14 - Birds › Section 20-14-8.1. - Brushneck Cove and Buttonwoods Cove.

§ 20-14-8.1. Brushneck Cove and Buttonwoods Cove.
No person shall take, kill, destroy, or pursue or in any manner molest any wild bird in any season of the year in that part of the city of Warwick known as Brushneck Cove and Buttonwoods Cove or within one hundred (100) yards of the shore or banks of the Brushneck Cove and Buttonwoods Cove.
History of Section.
P.L. 1997, ch. 264, § 1.
2023 Rhode Island General Laws › Title 20 - Fish and Wildlife › Chapter 20-14 - Birds › Section 20-14-9. - Boats used in hunting waterfowl.

§ 20-14-9. Boats used in hunting waterfowl.
Migratory game birds may not be taken from, or by means of, any motorboat or a boat or other craft having a motor attached, unless the motor has been completely shut off and/or the sail furled, and its progress from the use of the motor or sail has ceased, or the boat or craft is used solely as a means of picking up dead or injured birds, nor shall migratory game birds be taken by means of aid of any motor driven land, water, or air conveyance used for the purpose of, or resulting in, the concentrating, driving, rallying, or stirring up of waterfowl; provided, however, that the shooting of crippled waterfowl from a motorboat under power will be permitted under the following conditions: crippled waterfowl may be pursued, shot, and retrieved from a boat under power seaward of the first upstream bridge in all coastal waters except coastal ponds.
History of Section.
P.L. 1981, ch. 197, § 3.