Hunting and Fishing Licenses; lifetime disabled resident licenses established

Agriculture

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Stringer
Last action: 2026-03-26
Official status: Enacted
Effective date: 2026-10-01

Plain English Breakdown

The official source does not provide details on how eligibility for these licenses will be determined.

Lifetime Disabled Resident Hunting and Fishing Licenses

This law creates lifetime hunting and fishing licenses for disabled residents of Alabama, with different fees based on age.

What This Bill Does

Creates a new section in the Code of Alabama to establish lifetime hunting, freshwater fishing, and saltwater fishing licenses for disabled residents.
Sets a fee of $50 for individuals under 50 years old and $30 for those 50 or older for these lifetime licenses.
Requires fees collected from hunting and freshwater fishing licenses to go into the Alabama Game and Fish Endowment Fund, while saltwater fishing license fees go into the Alabama Marine Resources Endowment Fund.
Allows the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to charge a one-dollar issuance fee for each license issued.
States that these lifetime licenses are not transferable.

Who It Names or Affects

Disabled residents of Alabama who qualify for annual hunting or fishing licenses.
The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which will issue the new licenses and manage the funds collected from fees.

Terms To Know

Endowment Fund: A fund that is set up to collect money for a specific purpose, like supporting wildlife conservation in Alabama.
Transferable: Something that can be given or sold to another person. The new law says the lifetime licenses cannot be transferred to someone else.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill does not specify how eligibility for these licenses will be determined.
It is unclear what specific privileges come with a wildlife heritage license mentioned in the act.
The effectiveness of the law begins on October 1, 2026.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

ARZ5WQS-1

R 363

Adopted

Plain English: ARZ5WQS-1 01/21/2026 ZAK (H) HSE 2025-3008 House Agriculture and Forestry Reported Substitute for HB271 Page 1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; to add Section 9-11-54.1 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to establish lifetime disabled state resident special hunting and fishing licenses.

ARZ5WQS-1 01/21/2026 ZAK (H) HSE 2025-3008 House Agriculture and Forestry Reported Substitute for HB271 Page 1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; to add Section 9-11-54.1 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to establish lifetime disabled state resident special hunting and fishing licenses.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA: Section 1.
Section 9-11-54.1 is added to the Code of Alabama 1975, to read as follows: §9-11-54.1 (a) Beginning with the 2026 license year, an individual eligible to be issued an annual license under Section 9-11-54 may purchase a lifetime license in lieu of an annual license upon application and payment of a fee to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources as follows: (1)a.
Lifetime Disabled Resident Hunting License.

This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

2026-03-26 House
Enacted
2026-03-11 House
Delivered to Governor
2026-03-11 Senate
Signature Requested
2026-03-10 Senate
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 774 (Yeas 35, Nays 0)
2026-03-10 Senate
Third Reading in Second House (Yeas 35, Nays 0)
2026-03-10 House
Enrolled
2026-03-10 House
Ready to Enroll
2026-02-25 Senate
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-02-25 Senate
Reported Out of Committee Second House
2026-02-10 House
Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 364 (Yeas 105, Nays 0)
2026-02-10 House
Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 363 (Yeas 105, Nays 0)
2026-02-10 House
Third Reading in House of Origin (Yeas 104, Nays 0)
2026-02-10 Senate
Pending Committee Action in Second House
2026-02-10 Senate
Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry
2026-02-10 House
Engrossed
2026-02-10 House
Ways and Means Gerenal Fund Engrossed Substitute Offered
2026-02-05 House
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-02-04 House
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
2026-01-21 House
Re-referred to Committee in House of Origin
2026-01-21 House
Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
2026-01-21 House
Reported Out of Committee House of Origin
2026-01-15 House
Pending Committee Action in House of Origin
2026-01-15 House
Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry

Official Summary Text

This act adds Section 9-11-54.1 to the Code of Alabama 1975, to: (1) establish lifetime disabled resident hunting, freshwater fishing, and saltwater fishing licenses for those individuals eligible to receive an annual disabled resident hunting, freshwater fishing, or saltwater fishing license for a fee of $50 for individuals less than 50 years of age and $30 for individuals 50 years of age and older; and (2) require fees be deposited into the Alabama Game and Fish Endowment Fund and Alabama Marine Resources Endowment Fund, respectively.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

HB271 ENROLLED
Page 0
HB271
ARZ5WQS-3
By Representatives Stringer, Sorrells, Brown, Rehm, Smith,
Marques, Yarbrough
RFD: Agriculture and Forestry
First Read: 15-Jan-26
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HB271 Enrolled
Page 1
First Read: 15-Jan-26
Enrolled, An Act,
Relating to the Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources; to add Section 9-11-54.1 to the Code of Alabama
1975, to establish lifetime disabled state resident special
hunting and fishing licenses.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Section 9-11-54.1 is added to the Code of
Alabama 1975, to read as follows:
§9-11-54.1
(a) Beginning with the 2026 license year, an individual
eligible to be issued an annual license under Section 9-11-54
may purchase a lifetime license in lieu of an annual license
upon application and payment of a fee to the Department of
Conservation and Natural Resources as follows:
(1)a. Lifetime Disabled Resident Hunting License.
1. Individuals who are less than 50 years of age shall
be charged fifty dollars ($50) for a lifetime disabled
resident hunting license.
2. Individuals who are 50 years of age or older shall
be charged thirty dollars ($30) for a lifetime disabled
resident hunting license.
b. Fees collected pursuant to this subdivision shall be
deposited into the Alabama Game and Fish Endowment Fund.
(2)a. Lifetime Disabled Freshwater Fishing License.
1. Individuals who are less than 50 years of age shall
be charged fifty dollars ($50) for a lifetime disabled
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HB271 Enrolled
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be charged fifty dollars ($50) for a lifetime disabled
resident freshwater fishing license.
2. Individuals who are 50 years of age or older shall
be charged thirty dollars ($30) for a lifetime disabled
resident freshwater fishing license.
b. Fees collected pursuant to this subdivision shall be
deposited into the Alabama Game and Fish Endowment Fund.
(3)a. Lifetime Disabled Resident Saltwater Fishing
License.
1. Individuals who are less than 50 years of age shall
be charged fifty dollars ($50) for a lifetime disabled
resident saltwater fishing license.
2. Individuals who are 50 years of age or older shall
be charged thirty dollars ($30) for a lifetime disabled
resident saltwater fishing license.
b. Fees collected pursuant to this subdivision shall be
deposited into the Alabama Marine Resources Endowment Fund.
(b) The department may charge an issuance fee of one
dollar ($1) for a license, including a combination of
licenses, issued pursuant to this section.
(c) The fees provided in this section are subject to
adjustment pursuant to Sections 9-11-68 and 9-11-69.
(d) Applications for a license pursuant to this section
or Section 9-11-54 may be filed in the office of the
Commissioner of the Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources, or as otherwise authorized by the commissioner, on
forms prescribed by the commissioner.
(e) A license issued pursuant to this section is not
transferable.
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HB271 Enrolled
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transferable.
(f) A holder of a valid lifetime disabled resident
hunting or freshwater fishing license shall be entitled to all
of the privileges of a wildlife heritage license.
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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HB271 Enrolled
Page 4
1, 2026.
________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Representatives
________________________________________________
President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
House of Representatives
I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and
was passed by the House 10-Feb-26, as amended.
John Treadwell
Clerk
Senate 10-Mar-26 Passed
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