Read the full stored bill text
Wisconsin Legislature: AB981: Bill Text
Skip navigation
Home
Documents
Senate
Assembly
Committees
Service Agencies
Docs
Options
Help
2025 Biennium
Statutes
Admin. Rules
Indices
Miscellaneous
Archives
Home
Bill, Rule, and Appointment Histories
Senators
Representatives
Committees
Text of Introduced Proposals
Amendment Text
Acts
Veto Messages
Enrolled Bills
Votes
Assembly and Senate Floor Calendars
Schedule of Committee Activities
Assembly and Senate Journals
Committee Records (ROCPs)
Legislative Rules
All Session-Related Documents
Subject Index to Acts
Subject Index to Legislation
Subject Index to Journals
Author Index to Legislation
Subject Index to Clearinghouse Rules
Miscellaneous Budget Documents
Executive Orders
Rulings of the Chair
Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules
Opinions of the Attorney General
Town Law Forms
Law
Districts
Session
Drafting Files
Feeds
Preferences
Show tree
Hide tree
Feedback
Help
Home
Senate Home
Senators
Committees
Session
Chief Clerk
Sergeant at Arms
Civics Education
Human Resources
Assembly Home
Representatives
Committees
Session
Chief Clerk
Sergeant at Arms
Human Resources
Schedule
Joint
Senate
Assembly
Study
Legislative Audit Bureau
Legislative Council
Legislative Fiscal Bureau
Legislative Human Resources Office
Legislative Reference Bureau
Legislative Technology Services Bureau
Menu
»
2025
»
Related Documents
»
Proposal Text
»
AB981: Bill Text
Up
Up
2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-5571/2
EHS:skw
2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 981
January 30, 2026 - Introduced by Representatives
Green
and
B. Jacobson
, cosponsored by Senators
Stafsholt
and
Quinn
. Referred to Committee on Sporting Heritage.
AB981,1,3
1
An Act
to amend
20.370 (9) (hv) and 23.47 (2);
to create
23.176 and 23.47 (1)
2
(e) of the statutes;
relating to:
foraging permits, granting rule-making
3
authority, and making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill prohibits a person from foraging on state-owned land unless the Department of Natural Resources has issued the person a foraging permit. The bill defines foraging as collecting a plant or fungus from its natural habitat for a food, medicinal, or other use. The bill requires such a person to carry proof of the foraging permit at all times while foraging on state-owned land or while in possession of plants or fungi foraged on state-owned land and to exhibit this proof to DNR or its wardens or other law enforcement officers on demand.
The bill excludes from this prohibition vehicle admission areas, where, under current law, a vehicle admission receipt is generally required in order for a vehicle to enter. Vehicle admission areas include all state parks, the Richard Bong state recreation area, the Wisconsin Dells natural area, the Point Beach state forest, certain recreational areas in other state forests, certain designated use zones within recreation areas, and most roadside parks. The bill specifies that a foraging permit does not authorize a person to forage in an area on state-owned land where foraging is prohibited.
Under the bill, DNR must issue a foraging permit to a person who applies for the permit and who pays the required fees, and the permit is valid for the calendar year in which it is issued. The bill authorizes DNR to directly issue the permits, appoint persons who are not DNR employees as its agents to issue the permits, or contract with persons who are not DNR employees to operate a statewide automated system for issuing permits. The bill sets the fee for the permit at $40 for an adult, $20 for a child 12 years of age or older, and $0 for a child under the age of 12, with a 75 cent issuing fee for each permit issued to a person age 12 or older. The bill allows a DNR agent to retain 50 cents of such an issuing fee. The bill also requires DNR to establish a system under which DNR pays each agent 50 cents for each time that the agent processes a transaction through the statewide automated system.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
AB981,1
1
Section
1
.
20.370 (9) (hv) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB981,2,5
2
20.370
(9)
(hv)
Fee amounts for statewide automated issuing system.
All
3
moneys received from the deductions made under ss.
23.176 (4) (d),
23.47 (3) (e)
,
4
and 29.024 (6) (ag) to be used for payments to a person contracted under ss.
23.176
5
(3) (f) 3.,
23.47 (3) (c)
,
and 29.024 (6) (a) 4. as required by the contract.
AB981,2
6
Section
2
.
23.176 of the statutes is created to read:
AB981,2,7
7
23.176
Foraging permit.
(1)
Definitions.
In this section:
AB981,2,9
8
(a) “Forage” means to collect a plant or fungus from its natural habitat for a
9
food, medicinal, or other use.
AB981,2,12
10
(b) “Proof” means the original foraging permit issued by the department or an
11
agent appointed under sub. (3) (f) 2. or any alternative form of proof designated by
12
rule under s. 23.47 (1).
AB981,2,13
13
(c) “Vehicle admission area” has the meaning given in s. 27.01 (7) (a) 3.
AB981,3,6
14
(2)
Permit required.
(a)
No person may forage on land owned by the state,
15
excluding a vehicle admission area, unless the department or an agent appointed
1
under sub. (3) (f) 2. has issued to the person a foraging permit. A person shall carry
2
proof of the foraging permit at all times while the person is foraging on land owned
3
by the state or while in possession of plants or fungi foraged from land owned by the
4
state, unless otherwise required by this chapter or unless otherwise authorized or
5
required by the department. The person shall exhibit the proof to the department
6
or its wardens or other law enforcement officers on demand.
AB981,3,8
7
(b) A foraging permit issued under this section does not authorize a person to
8
forage in an area on land owned by the state where foraging is prohibited.
AB981,3,14
9
(3)
Issuance.
(a) The department shall issue a foraging permit to a person
10
who applies for the permit and who pays the fees required under sub. (4). The
11
application for a foraging permit shall be on the form and contain the information
12
required by the department. The department or an agent appointed under par. (f)
13
2. may not issue a foraging permit to the applicant until the applicant complies with
14
the requirements specified in this paragraph.
AB981,3,16
15
(b) A foraging permit issued under this section is valid for the calendar year in
16
which it is issued.
AB981,3,18
17
(c) Each foraging permit issued under this section shall contain the name and
18
address of the permit holder and other information required by the department.
AB981,3,20
19
(d) The department shall prepare, procure the printing of, and supply all
20
necessary forms for applications and foraging permits issued under this section.
AB981,3,22
21
(e) The department may issue customer identification numbers as part of a
22
statewide automated system for issuing foraging permits under par. (f) 3.
AB981,3,24
23
(f) In the course of issuing permits under this section, the department may do
24
any of the following:
AB981,4,1
1
1. Directly issue the permits.
AB981,4,3
2
2. Appoint persons who are not employees of the department to issue the
3
permits as agents of the department.
AB981,4,5
4
3. Contract with persons who are not employees of the department to operate
5
a statewide automated system for issuing permits.
AB981,4,7
6
(g) The department may promulgate rules regulating the activities of persons
7
who are authorized as agents under par. (f) 2.
AB981,4,9
8
(4)
Fees.
(a) A person who applies for a foraging permit under this section
9
shall pay one of the following fees to the department, whichever is applicable:
AB981,4,10
10
1. For an adult, $40.
AB981,4,11
11
2. For a child 12 years of age or older, $20.
AB981,4,12
12
3. For a child under the age of 12, $0.
AB981,4,18
13
(b) Any person, including the department, that issues a foraging permit under
14
this section shall collect, in addition to the applicable fee under par. (a), an issuing
15
fee of 75 cents for each permit issued to a person 12 years of age or older. An agent
16
appointed under sub. (3) (f) 2. may retain 50 cents of each issuing fee for each
17
permit. Any issuing fee collected by an employee of the department shall be
18
remitted to the department together with the fee under par. (a).
AB981,4,23
19
(c) If the department enters into a contract under sub. (3) (f) 3., the
20
department may deduct a portion of each fee collected under pars. (a) and (b) for
21
payment to persons contracted to operate the statewide automated system under
22
sub. (3) (f) 3. The department shall credit all of the amounts deducted to the
23
appropriation account under s. 20.370 (9) (hv).
AB981,5,7
24
(d) The department shall establish a system under which the department
1
pays each agent appointed under sub. (3) (f) 2. a payment of 50 cents for each time
2
that the agent processes a transaction through the statewide automated system
3
contracted for under sub. (3) (f) 3. The payment under this paragraph is in addition
4
to any issuing fee retained by the agent under par. (b). The department shall make
5
the payments under this paragraph by allowing the agent to retain an amount
6
equal to the payments from the amounts that are collected by the agent and that
7
would otherwise be remitted to the department.
AB981,3
8
Section
3
.
23.47 (1) (e) of the statutes is created to read:
AB981,5,9
9
23.47
(1)
(e) A foraging permit under s. 23.176.
AB981,4
10
Section
4
.
23.47 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB981,5,19
11
23.47
(2)
Electronic retrieval of information.
If the department
12
maintains a system under which the department stores information in an electronic
13
format that relates to individuals who have been issued approvals under ch. 29
,
14
foraging permits under s. 23.176,
or safety certificates under s. 23.33, 23.335, 30.74,
15
or 350.055, the department may issue a conservation card to any individual who
16
applies for the card for purposes of enabling the department to access information
17
about that individual in the system. The department may authorize an individual
18
to carry a conservation card or another form of identification, determined by the
19
department, in lieu of carrying proof under sub. (1).
AB981,5,20
20
(end)
Down
Down
/2025/related/proposals/ab981
true
proposaltext
/2025/related/proposals/ab981
proposaltext/2025/REG/AB981
proposaltext/2025/REG/AB981
section
true
Menu
»
2025
»
Related Documents
»
Proposal Text
»
AB981: Bill Text
×
Details for
PDF view
Link
(Permanent link)
Bookmark this location
View toggle
Go to top of document
Search in this chapter
Search in this section
Search in this agency
Search in this chapter group
Search in this chapter
Search in this section
Cross references for section
Acts affecting this section
References to this
1970 Statutes Annotations
Appellate Court Citations
Administrative Code Index
Reference lines
Clear highlighting