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The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission (voluntary board), which provides oversight to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, may award up to 10 special permits per year for each of several specific hunting opportunities to charitable wildlife organizations that conduct wildlife conservation and related participation programs or projects in Kentucky for purposes of fundraising. The special permits are for up to 10 each of black bear, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, elk, and waterfowl. Recipient organizations typically raise funds with auctions, raffles, or direct sales of the permits awarded, which they shall use for the conservation or participation efforts proposed in their applications for consideration by the Commission.
Amendments and a recodification of the Kentucky Administrative Regulation (301 KAR 5:200) governing Special Commission Permits became effective June 4, 2024. The application, reporting, and hunter information submission processes have changed and are now submitted exclusively via the online portal. Please review the information below to ensure compliance with the new requirements.
If you have any other questions regarding the Special Commission Permits program not covered by this FAQ, feel free to contact the Department at FW.CommissionPermits@ky.gov.
A special commission permit is a permit awarded by the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission to an incorporated nonprofit wildlife conservation organization for fundraising that allows the assigned permit holder to perform the act applicable to the specific game designated by the permit.
Black bear, deer, and turkey permits allow the take of an extra animal beyond the normal bag limit.
Elk permits allow the take of up to one (1) elk in total for the season.
Waterfowl permits provide an opportunity to hunt at Kentucky’s premier public waterfowl hunting locations with priority selection of hunt location and dates. Waterfowl permit holders can invite up to three (3) guests to hunt with them, but each hunter must comply with all ordinary requirements for waterfowl hunting participants at the WMA.
An incorporated nonprofit conservation organization. To be considered an incorporated nonprofit conservation organization, the organization must:
Each chapter of an organization may apply, however, the number of permits awarded to all chapters of an organization under a single EIN number, as established by the IRS, is limited to one (1) of each type.
Organizations sell to hunters the permits they are awarded to raise funds to be used for the conservation projects described in their application.
Organizations can apply by submitting an application and supporting documents online at app.fw.ky.gov/commission.
Applications and supporting documents must all be submitted by May 1st.
Until the due date of May 1st, organizations may supplement or submit additional documents for their application. To supplement an application, go to app.fw.ky.gov/commission/application/editsubmission and provide the requested information to look up your application. Alternatively, you can go to the submission portal and select “Edit Submission” from the “Special Commission” dropdown list at the top of the page.
Incomplete applications and applications missing required documentation, after the due date of May 1st, will be disqualified from consideration.
Yes, applications can be modified or supplemented prior to the May 1st submission deadline. To supplement or amend an application go to https://app.fw.ky.gov/commission/application/editsubmission and provide the requested information to look up your application. Alternatively, you can go to the submission portal and select “Edit Submission” from the “Special Commission” dropdown list at the top of the page.
The Department's legal staff review all applications to determine the organizations eligibility for the awards. Legal staff verify the applications are complete, the supporting documents are all for the correct corporate entity, the Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws include a qualifying stated purpose, the organization holds 501(c)(3) status, and the organization complied with requirements from prior awards.
The Fish and Wildlife Commission members review the eligible applications and determine which organizations will receive awards.
Each year, the Commission decides how many special commission permits to issue for each game type. They may award up to ten (10) special commission permits for each of the following game types: black bear, deer, elk, turkey, and waterfowl.
The Commission members review the applications and supporting documents of the eligible applicant organizations and their history of compliance, then vote to determine which organizations shall receive the permits.
The Commission awards special commission permits during an open meeting each year. The meeting at which special commission permits are awarded may occur anytime after the application deadline of May 1st but not later than December 31st. Most commonly, the special commission permits are awarded in late Summer or Fall.
Each year, a single organization may receive up to one (1) special commission permit of each of the five (5) types: black bear, deer, elk, turkey, and waterfowl. If multiple chapters of an organization apply for permits under the same corporation or EIN number, as established by the IRS, those chapters may only receive one (1) special commission permit of each type in total. That is, no duplicate permits may be awarded. If the chapters qualify independent of each other as different corporations under different EIN numbers, they may each be awarded up to one (1) permit of each type.
The Department will publish the awards list and contact information for the organizations on its web site. Additionally, the organization will receive an email informing them of any awards for which they were selected.
Each permit awarded must be sold to generate funds for the conservation project(s) identified in the organization's application.
Spend the net proceeds raised by the sale of the permits ONLY on the project(s) listed in the application materials. Net proceeds are the Expenses directly related to the sale of the permit are subtracted from the sale price.
Submit annual reports with receipts for all expenditures by May 1st each year for up to three (3) years after the application year or until all proceeds are accounted for in the annual report, whichever comes first.
Remit any proceeds not spent on the listed conservation projects back to the department by the May 1st reporting deadline three (3) years after the application year.
Submit the required hunter information for each permit by the due date for the specific game type.
Required Hunter Information:
Due Dates for Hunter Information Submission:
The method used for the sale of the permit is not restricted by the Department's regulations. Many agencies directly sell the permits awarded to individual hunters or hunting guides. Others utilize an auction or raffle.
An organization that fails to sell an awarded permit is disqualified from consideration for future awards for a period of two years.
Hunter information is submitted via the link provided with your award letter. This ensures the information submitted is matched to your organization. If you cannot locate the link, contact the Department at FW.CommissionPermits@ky.gov.
The required hunter information is:
The due dates for submission of the hunter information are:
No permit will be issued.
If the failure is due to the purchaser not providing the required hunter information by the due date, the organization may submit the name of the purchaser and statement that the organization attempted to obtain the required hunter information, but it was not supplied prior to the applicable submission deadline.
If the failure was due to the organization not requesting the information from the hunter or having the required information but not submitting it to the Department, the organization will be disqualified from consideration for awards for a period of two years.
For black bear permits, the permit holder may harvest one (1) additional black bear of either sex.
For deer permits, the permit holder may harvest one (1) additional deer of either sex.
For wild turkey permits, the permit holder may harvest one (1) additional turkey of either sex.
For elk permits, the permit holder may harvest one (1) elk of either sex, except that an individual may not harvest more than one (1) elk in total per license year.
For waterfowl permits, the permit holder receives priority hunt dates and location selections for public area waterfowl hunting. The permit holder must still comply with all the ordinary requirements for waterfowl hunting, such as purchasing a waterfowl permit and federal duck stamp, take no more than the ordinary bag limit, etc.
The organization will supply the Department with the required hunter information prior to the due date for the permit type. The Department will issue and mail the special commission permit out to the hunter.
Permits are issued shortly after the due date for organizations to submit the hunter information. In general, they are issued within two weeks of the due date. Once issued, the permits are mailed to the hunters.
When telechecking, select the “Statewide License or Youth Under 12” option for license/tag type.
Prior to the hunter information submission deadline, an organization can amend the hunter information. Once that deadline has passed, it cannot be changed.
A financial statement containing:
A summary of the conservation project.
A synopsis of the project's impact in regard to the goals stated.
The organization must submit an annual report by May 1st, the year after the awards (this will be the same year that the permits will be used), then again each year for a total of up to three (3) reports until all the proceeds have been spent and accounted for in a report. Once all proceeds have been spent and properly accounted for in a report, no further reports need to be filed.
Example: If you apply and are awarded permits in 2024, you must report by May 1, 2025. If you have spent all the proceeds and properly reported those expenditures, no further report is needed. If not, another report will be due May 1, 2026. Once again, if all proceeds have been spent and reported in the 2026 report, no further report would be necessary. If not, a final report will be due May 1, 2027.
The organization must spend the proceeds raised by May 1st of the third year after application.
Example:If you apply and are awarded permits in 2024, all proceeds must be spent by May 1, 2027 and those expenses must be reported by May 1, 2027.
If all the proceeds have not been expended by May 1st of the third year after application, then those funds must be remitted to the Department by May 1st of the third year after application.
Example:If you apply and are awarded permits in 2024, and do not spend all the proceeds by May 1, 2027, those funds must be remitted by May 1, 2027.
No, ordinary operating costs of the organization cannot be paid for utilizing special commission permit proceeds. This is specifically prohibited by the regulation.
It is not unusual for organizations awarded permits other than Turkey, to have not sold the permit by May 1st the year following the award as there is still time before the hunt seasons which occur later in the year. Simply note in the report that the permit has yet to be sold. All permits should be sold prior to the report due date for the second year following award as all the hunts would have already occurred.
If an organization fails to submit a report or fails to submit all the required information and receipts, the organization will be disqualified from consideration for up to two (2) years. Subsequent failures to submit subsequent required reports extend the disqualification period.
An organization that failed to submit a report or all the required information and receipts, may submit or supplement the missing report or information prior to May 1st the following year to reduce their disqualification period to one (1) year.
Example:An organization applies and is awarded permits in 2024. In 2025, the organization does not file its required annual report until a week after the due date. That organization is ineligible for awards in 2025, but assuming the report was otherwise completed properly, the organization would be eligible for awards in 2026, so long as any report required for 2026 is filed correctly and timely.
Example: An organization applies and is awarded permits in 2024. In 2025, the organization does not file its required annual report until a week after the due date. That organization is ineligible for awards in 2025, but assuming the report was otherwise completed properly, the organization would be eligible for awards in 2026, so long as any report required for 2026 is filed correctly and timely.
Example:An organization applies and is awarded permits in 2024. They fail to ever file a report. In this scenario reports would be due 2025, 2026, and 2027. The organization would be ineligible for awards until 2029.
No, all proceeds must be used for the projects identified in the application or remitted to the Department.
Annual reports are submitted via the Special Commission Permit submission portal at app.fw.ky.gov/commission.
Yes, annual reports can be modified or supplemented prior to the May 1st submission deadline. To supplement or amend a report go to app.fw.ky.gov/commission/application/editsubmission and provide the requested information to look up your report. Alternatively, you can go to the submission portal and select “Edit Submission” from the “Special Commission” dropdown list at the top of the page.
When you submit your report initially, a reference number will be provided. This reference number is necessary to return to the report. If you have lost your reference number, please contact fw.commissionpermits@ky.gov.
If an organization uses proceeds for purposes other than the projects described in the application, fails to submit reports, or fails to remit remaining funds to the Department as required, the organization would be subject to civil suit by the Department to recover the proceeds raised from the sale of the permit.