Fishing outfitters and guides-registration of fishing boats.
AN ACT relating to game and fish; authorizing the Wyoming game and fish commission to regulate commercially guided fishing boats; providing for registration of commercially guided fishing boats, vehicles and trailers operated by outfitters and professional fishing guides; providing an exception; creating an advisory board; specifying duties of the advisory board; requiring a report; providing definitions; providing rulemaking authority; and providing for an effective date.
Housing
Enacted
This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.
Sponsor
Travel
Last action
2025-02-27
Official status
enrolled
Effective date
2/27/2025
Plain English Breakdown
The summary does not specify that people using commercial fishing guide services are directly affected.
Fishing Outfitters and Guides Boat Registration
This law allows the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to regulate commercially guided fishing boats, requiring registration and annual fees starting January 1, 2026.
What This Bill Does
The Wyoming Game and Fish Commission can now set rules for how many commercial fishing boats are allowed on rivers or lakes in the state.
An advisory board of seven members will give recommendations to the commission about creating these rules.
Commercial fishing boat operators must register their boats, vehicles, and trailers starting January 1, 2026, and pay an annual fee.
Who It Names or Affects
Commercial fishing boat operators in Wyoming
Terms To Know
commercially guided fishing boats
Fishing boats used by outfitters or professional guides to provide paid fishing services.
outfitter
A person who provides fishing guide services for financial gain, excluding those who only rent equipment.
Limits and Unknowns
The law does not apply if a boat is launched from land owned or leased by the operator.
Details about how fees will be set and collected are left to future rules made by the Game and Fish Commission.
Amendments
These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.
Plain English: The amendment adds a requirement for the advisory board to include at least two members who are Wyoming-owned drift boat guide business owners.
Adds a new clause in subsection (b) that mandates including at least two members on the advisory board who own drift boat guiding businesses in Wyoming.
The amendment does not specify how these members will be selected or what their specific roles and responsibilities are within the advisory board.
Standing Committee • House Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Re
Adopted
Plain English: The amendment adds provisions for an exception to certain regulations, creates a new advisory board for commercially guided fishing boats, specifies the duties of this board, modifies fee structures based on residency status, and requires a report by specific dates.
Adds an exception allowing Wyoming residents to use boat ramps without adhering to a lawful ratio if they guide fishermen to locations owned or leased by them or their immediate family members.
Establishes a commercially guided fishing boats advisory board with seven appointed members, each from different appointment districts, who will provide recommendations for rulemaking.
Modifies the annual fee structure for professional fishing guides and outfitters based on residency status, aligning it with existing fishing license fees.
Requires the Wyoming game and fish commission and the newly created advisory board to make recommendations by November 1, 2025, regarding a new or amended board to carry out specified duties.
The exact composition and specific duties of the advisory board are not fully detailed in the amendment text.
Some technical details about how the advisory board will operate and make recommendations are not provided.
Plain English: The amendment adds an exception to the bill, allowing commercially guided fishing boats to use city, town, county, or state boat ramps without registration if they are guiding fishermen to lands owned or leased by the guide or their immediate family.
Adds an exception for guides using public boat ramps when taking clients to privately-owned or leased waters.
The amendment does not specify how this exception will be enforced or what constitutes 'immediate family member'.
Standing Committee • Senate Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural R
Adopted
Plain English: The amendment removes specific sections of the bill related to registration fees for commercially guided fishing boats and certain duties of an advisory board.
Removes language about annual registration fees for commercially guided fishing boats.
Eliminates provisions detailing the responsibilities of an advisory board.
The amendment does not provide details on what will replace the deleted sections, such as how registration and advisory board duties will be handled in the future.
Bill History
2025-02-27LSO
Assigned Chapter Number 50
2025-02-27Governor
Governor Signed HEA No. 0031
2025-02-25Senate
S President Signed HEA No. 0031
2025-02-25House
H Speaker Signed HEA No. 0031
2025-02-25LSO
Assigned Number HEA No. 0031
2025-02-24House
H Concur:Passed 33-22-7-0-0
2025-02-24House
H Received for Concurrence
2025-02-24Senate
S 3rd Reading:Passed 19-11-1-0-0
2025-02-21Senate
S 2nd Reading:Passed
2025-02-20Senate
S COW:Passed
2025-02-18Senate
S Placed on General File
2025-02-18Senate
S06 - Travel:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 4-1-0-0-0
2025-02-11Senate
S Introduced and Referred to S06 - Travel
2025-02-04Senate
S Received for Introduction
2025-02-03House
H 3rd Reading:Passed 35-22-5-0-0
2025-01-31House
H 2nd Reading:Passed
2025-01-30House
H COW:Passed
2025-01-24House
H Placed on General File
2025-01-24House
H06 - Travel:Recommend Amend and Do Pass 9-0-0-0-0
2025-01-14House
H Introduced and Referred to H06 - Travel
2025-01-02House
H Received for Introduction
2024-12-02LSO
Bill Number Assigned
Official Summary Text
Bill Summary - 25LSO-0215
Bill No.:
HB0005
Effective:
Immediately
LSO No.:
25LSO-0215
Enrolled Act No.:
HEA No. 0031
Chapter No.:
50
Prime Sponsor:
Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife & Cultural Resources Interim Committee
Catch Title:
Fishing outfitters and guides-registration of fishing boats.
Has Report:
Yes
Subject:
Commercially guided fishing boats.
Summary/Major Elements:
This act authorizes the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission to regulate commercially guided fishing boats allowed to launch into or use any river or lake or section thereof in the state. It creates an advisory board with seven (7) members appointed by the Commission to provide recommendations for promulgating rules. The rules shall require registration and payment of an annual fee beginning January 1, 2026.
Comments:
Requires the Game and Fish Commission and the Commercially Guided Fishing Boats Advisory Board to make recommendations to the Joint Travel, Recreation, Wildlife and Cultural Resources Interim Committee on the creation of a new board or amendment to an existing board to carry out the duties required in the act not later than November 1, 2025.
The above summary is not an official publication of the Wyoming Legislature and is not an official statement of legislative intent.
While the Legislative Service Office endeavored to provide accurate information in this summary, it should not be relied upon as a comprehensive abstract of the bill.
Current Bill Text
Read the full stored bill text
25LSO-0215
ORIGINAL House
ENGROSSED
Bill No
.
HB0005
ENROLLED ACT NO. 31,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SIXTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2025 General Session
AN ACT relating to game and fish; authorizing the Wyoming game and fish commission to regulate commercially guided fishing boats; providing for registration of commercially guided fishing boats, vehicles and trailers operated by outfitters and professional fishing guides; providing an exception; creating an advisory board; specifying duties of the advisory board; requiring a report; providing definitions; providing rulemaking authority; and providing for an effective date.
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
Section 1
.
W.S. 23
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3
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206 is created to read:
23
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3
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206.
Commercially guided fishing boats; regulatory authority; advisory board; definitions.
(a)
To protect the quality of the fishing experience, the fishery and other aquatic resources and species in this state, the commission may set limits on or otherwise regulate the number of commercially guided fishing boats allowed to launch into or use any river or lake or section thereof in this state. This subsection shall not apply to a person who uses a city, town, county or state boat ramp or other access point to launch a commercially guided fishing boat to guide fishermen if the person is guiding the fishermen to a location where the lands are owned or leased by the person or the person's immediate family member.
(b)
There is created a commercially guided fishing boats advisory board. The board shall consist of seven (7) members appointed by the commission. One (1) member shall be appointed from each appointment district pursuant to W.S. 9
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1
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218 and at least two (2) members appointed shall be Wyoming owned drift boat guide business owners. Members shall serve a four (4) year term. The commission may remove any member of the board, subject to W.S. 9
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1
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202. Vacancies of the board shall be filled by appointment for the unexpired term. The board shall provide recommendations to the commission for promulgating rules under subsection (c) of this section. Members of the board shall receive no compensation but shall be reimbursed by the commission for per diem and travel expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties in the same manner and amount as state employees.
(c)
The commission may promulgate rules governing the registration and means of tracking the number of commercially guided fishing boats launching into or using any river or lake or section thereof. The commission may hold public meetings in each county in which its rules apply. The rules shall require registration and payment of an annual fee for each commercially guided fishing boat beginning January 1, 2026. The department shall provide two (2) registration stickers one (1) of which shall be displayed on each commercially guided fishing boat and trailer registered under this subsection.
(d)
As used in this section:
(i)
"Commercially guided fishing boat" means a fishing boat that is operated by an outfitter or professional fishing guide to provide fishing guide services for financial gain;
(ii)
"Fishing guide services" means for hire or remuneration, accompanying and providing assistance to a person on a river or lake or section thereof for the purposes of fishing;
(iii)
"Operate" means to navigate or otherwise use a commercially guided fishing boat;
(iv)
"Outfitter" or "professional fishing guide" means a person who advertises or holds himself out to the public for hire for the purpose of financial gain to provide fishing guide services, excluding any person who furnishes fishing equipment or boats to a person for exclusively personal and temporary use. "Outfitter" or "professional fishing guide" includes any person requiring the payment of fees or remuneration for providing personal services on a river or lake or section thereof for the purposes of fishing.
Section 2
.
Not later than November 1, 2025, the game and fish commission and the commercially guided fishing boats advisory board created in section 1 of this act shall make recommendations to the joint travel, recreation, wildlife and cultural resources interim committee on the creation of a new board or amendment to an existing board to carry out the duties specified in section 1 of this act.
Section 3
.
This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.
(END)
Speaker of the House
President of the Senate
Governor
TIME APPROVED: _________
DATE APPROVED: _________
I hereby certify that this act originated in the House.
Chief Clerk
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