Kentucky Fish and Wildlife to implement biennial fee adjustments using CPI national economic indicator

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 7, 2025) — State legislators have approved a straightforward approach to the way license, tag, registration and permit fees charged by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources will be adjusted in the future.

Following adjournment of the Interim Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Energy meeting on Nov. 6, 2025, that initiative (301 KAR 5:022) and several other proposed changes to state administrative regulations were finalized and are now in effect.

Key changes include:

• A reduced-cost sportsman’s license is now available for resident first-time buyers. Only individuals who have not purchased an annual Kentucky hunting or fishing license – or a combination license that includes an annual license - since 1996 are eligible. The $35 license includes a resident hunting and fishing license, spring turkey permit, fall turkey permit, trout permit, state migratory bird and waterfowl permit and statewide deer permit.
• To hunt bobcats in Kentucky, hunters must purchase a $10 permit. The permit was previously free.
• The motorboat registration fee structure has been simplified. Fees will now be based solely on vessel length.
• Amendments also changed fees for boat manufacturers and dealers, as well as hunting and fishing guide and outfitter licenses.

Moving forward, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife will make incremental price adjustments every other year for licenses, tags, registrations and permits based only on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), the national measure of inflation calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The Federal Duck Stamp and application fees will be exempted from CPI adjustments.

All licenses, permits, tags and registrations sold by the department will be adjusted in January using the CPI rate from 2024 and 2025, following the expected BLS announcement of the CPI index.

The adjustment will affect the remaining 2025-26 license year through Feb. 28, 2026, and the 2026-27 license year starting March 1, 2026.

In the past, fees for licenses, tags, registrations and permits changed unpredictably. Under the new approach, price adjustments will be smaller and more consistent.

“Relying on a widely accepted federal economic indicator to determine price adjustments for user fees helps our customers know when to anticipate changes, and it’s a common-sense way to adjust for inflation,” said Gabe Jenkins, deputy commissioner for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife.

“We are a fee-based agency and the majority of funding comes from the sale of licenses and permits that have not seen a resident increase since 2018, and federal excise taxes. Implementing CPI price adjustments enhances transparency and will help the agency keep pace with industry costs to ensure fiscally sound operation of the agency and fulfillment of its mission for generations to come.”

Licenses, tags and permits for the 2026-27 license year go on sale Dec. 1, 2025. The 2026-27 license year starts March 1, 2026. Hunters and anglers can take advantage of lower pricing by buying their 2026-27 licenses and permits before the anticipated increase in January.

Purchases may be made on the My Profile app on the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife website (fw.ky.gov).

“We encourage our customers to not delay and consider buying their 2026-27 licenses and permits in December,” Jenkins said.

For questions, the public may refer to the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Licenses webpage or type “Licenses” into the search bar on the agency website (fw.ky.gov), or contact the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Information Center at 800-858-1549 or at info.center@ky.gov, weekdays 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (Eastern), except holidays.​