Last updated 2026-08-18
TL;DR
You need an Arizona falconry license to keep a raptor for falconry. Game and Fish runs the exam, mews inspection, and class license. Federal rules set the floor: 80 percent on the test and two years as an apprentice. A hunting license is separate. Confirm fees and forms with the Department. Nobody can promise you a date.
Do you need a license for falconry in Arizona?
Yes. You need an Arizona falconry license to possess a raptor for falconry, and you need an Arizona hunting license if you hunt quarry with that bird. The Department issues the falconry class after you pass the exam, clear a facilities inspection, and (if you are an apprentice) name a sponsor. Federal migratory bird law still applies on top of the state paper. [1][2][7]
Arizona Revised Statutes 17-331 forbid taking wildlife without a valid license or a commission exemption. [2] That sentence is the whole sport in miniature. Falconry Arizona searches often stop at this question. The answer does not change if your bird is captive-bred, if a friend already owns it, or if you swear you will never hunt.
There is no pet hawk loophole. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it unlawful to take or possess migratory birds except as permitted by regulation. [7][8] A sales receipt from a breeder is not a falconry license. Possession for falconry is the licensed activity under 50 CFR 21.82 and Arizona's live-wildlife rules. [1][5]
People sometimes hear that the feds got out of falconry. That is half true. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stopped issuing a separate federal falconry permit after states took over administration, which the 2008 rule set in motion. [6] You still live under 50 CFR 21.82. Arizona just holds the pen on your card.
If you only want to watch buteos on a pole, you need optics. If you want a bird on the fist, you are in the license path. Carry the paper when you are afield. Rangers will ask.
Who actually runs the Arizona falconry board?
Arizona does not have a standalone falconry board. The Arizona Game and Fish Commission adopts the rules. The Arizona Game and Fish Department gives the exam, inspects your mews, and issues Apprentice, General, and Master licenses. Write the Department, not a fictional board, when you need a form or an inspection. [5][12]
The Commission sits in statute. ARS 17-231 gives it authority over wildlife and rulemaking. [12] The live-wildlife article of the Arizona Administrative Code (Title 12, Chapter 4) is where the falconry standards live, including R12-4-422. [5] Department officers and wildlife specialists are the people who actually walk your weathering yard.
Online forums love the phrase falconry board. In Arizona that phrase is slang. Use Commission when you mean the rule. Use Department when you mean the exam date, the inspector, or the plastic license. Mixing those names in an email is how your note sits in the wrong inbox.
License classes and fee schedules are authorized in Title 17, including ARS 17-332 and ARS 17-333. [3][4] Dollar amounts move. Do not tattoo last year's number on your plan. Pull the current statute and the Department fee list the week you apply.
If you are comparing structures before a move, read how California's falconry board path splits work between the state wildlife agency and local inspectors. Colorado's falconry board process is the other common comparison for people coming off the Colorado Plateau.
What federal falconry rules apply in Arizona?
Federal falconry rules in 50 CFR 21.82 are the floor Arizona must meet. The state can write a tighter rule. It cannot write a looser one on the core standards. Read the federal section once before you read the Arizona code, or you will miss why the exam, the inspection, and the class ladder look the way they do. [1]
Federal falconry rules require a score of at least 80 percent on the state examination (50 CFR 21.82). [1] That number is not a rumor from a forum. The regulation text requires you to correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions on an examination administered by the state, tribal, or territorial agency. Arizona gives that test. Budget study time like it is a real exam, because it is.
The same federal section sets the class ladder. Apprentice is the entry class, with a federal minimum age of 12. General class has a federal minimum age of 16 and requires at least 2 years at Apprentice. Master class requires at least 5 years at General. [1] Federal rules require at least 2 years at Apprentice class before General class (50 CFR 21.82).
| Class | Federal minimum age | Time in the prior class | Exam floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | 12 | Sponsor required | 80 percent |
| General | 16 | 2 years as Apprentice | Already passed |
| Master | 16 | 5 years as General | Already passed |
Arizona may add tighter age, sponsor, or possession rules in R12-4-422. Confirm the state text. Do not treat this table as your license. [1][5]
The 2008 federal rule is why you no longer wait on a second federal falconry permit in the mail. Administration moved to states that met the standards. [6] Migratory birds are still federal trust species. The Treaty Act is still the criminal backstop. [7][8]
How do you get an apprentice falconry license in Arizona?
You get an Arizona apprentice license by lining up a sponsor, passing the state exam at 80 percent or better, passing a facilities inspection, and filing whatever application the Department is using that year. Then you may possess a raptor that is legal at your class. Do those steps in that order. Buying the bird first is how people get in trouble. [1][5]
Find the sponsor before you spend on lumber. Federal rules require a General or Master falconer as sponsor. Arizona can add residency or experience conditions on who may sponsor. Confirm the current R12-4-422 language and ask the Department if your candidate is eligible. [1][5] I'd talk to two sponsors before I pick one. Chemistry matters more than a trophy bird list.
Study the federal standards and the Arizona live-wildlife article, not random quizzes with no citation. Housing, food, weathering, molting, take seasons, and reporting all show up. North American falconry is still taught as an apprenticeship. That is not nostalgia. It is how the permit system is built. [1][10]
A simple paper checklist helps some people keep the exam topics, sponsor questions, and mews specs in one stack. FalconryPath sells a $149 State Exam + Sponsor + Mews Kit at /start. This site is an independent publisher, not the Department and not a law firm. You can also print 50 CFR 21.82 and Title 12, Chapter 4 and do the same work free. [1][5]
After you pass, build to the inspection standard, then call for the inspection. After you pass inspection, file. After you have the license in hand, trap or buy. That sequence is boring. It is also the one that does not waste a bird or a weekend.
How long does falconry take in Arizona?
The apprentice clock is the honest answer. Federal rules set a minimum of 2 years at Apprentice before you can move to General, and a minimum of 5 years at General before Master. If you start General at 16, Master eligibility is 7 years out. Nobody can lawfully compress those floors. [1]
The first license is a shorter, messier interval. You need study time, an exam date, a finished mews, an inspector on the calendar, and processing. Confirm every one of those with Arizona Game and Fish. Staff calendars move. Do not let anyone guarantee you a week count. No honest page can either.
If you start as a 12-year-old apprentice, you still cannot be a General falconer before age 16 under the federal floor. The two-year apprentice term can finish before your 16th birthday. You wait on age. Plan the bird and the school calendar around that, not around a wish. [1]
Time to first quarry is not the same as time to a license. You still need a legal bird, a hunting license, an open season, and a bird that is actually flying. Arizona's winter is kinder than a northern mews, which helps husbandry. It does not punch your apprentice card faster.
Nobody has good public data on how many Arizona apprentices finish the two years. The closest honest statement is the federal minimum, plus however long your sponsor and the Department take to sign the upgrade. Budget years, not weekends.
How much does falconry cost in Arizona?
The license line is not the real cost. Confirm the current falconry license fee and hunting license fee on ARS 17-333 and the Department fee list the week you pay. Those numbers change, and an old blog post is not a receipt. [3][4] Add the hunting license if you will take quarry. Falconry paper alone does not replace it. [2]
The money that actually hurts is housing, food, veterinary care, and your time. A mews that passes inspection can be a tight, clean conversion or a new build. Food is a weekly bill for as long as you keep the bird. A sick hawk does not care that you already spent the month's budget. I would rather see a plain, legal facility and a funded freezer than a pretty weathering yard and an empty wallet.
I will not invent a first-year total. There is no solid public study that prices an Arizona apprentice year from exam through first season. Anyone quoting a single statewide number is guessing. Add the published state fees, then price lumber, wire, perches, a scale, gloves, and food against local receipts.
Waste of money: a telemetry stack before you have a passing score, a decorative hood collection, and a hybrid falcon you are not licensed to keep. Waste of money: building the palace mews before a sponsor has even walked the yard. Spend first on the exam, the inspection standard, and a relationship with a sponsor who will actually return a call.
If you are pricing a move instead of a first license, pull the other state's fee page too. Idaho's falconry board notes are a useful western comparison. Fees still get confirmed at the counter, not in a remembered forum post.
What mews and equipment will Arizona inspect?
Arizona inspects your facilities before you possess a falconry raptor. Federal rules require humane, healthful housing and an inspection by the state agency. The bird must be able to extend its wings, stay dry and shaded, and be protected from predators and domestic animals. Clean water and a usable perch are not optional flavor. They are the standard. [1]
Read the housing language in 50 CFR 21.82 and the Arizona raptor regulation in Title 12, Chapter 4 before you buy panels. [1][5] Inspectors vary in personality. The written standard does not. If your plan only works by hoping the inspector is in a good mood, rebuild the plan.
I would build simple and tight. Shade in an Arizona summer is not a luxury. A weathering area that cooks a bird in June will fail the only test that matters. Indoor mews need airflow. Outdoor areas need predator-proofing that actually stops a raccoon at 2 a.m. Fancy stain on the plywood does not impress anyone who has seized a hot bird.
Equipment on inspection day is the dull kit: glove, jesses or the current legal anklet setup, leash, swivel, scale, bath pan, and a first-aid plan you can explain. Telemetry is not what gets a brand-new apprentice approved. Knowing how you will weigh the bird every day is.
Do not possess the raptor while you wait for a re-inspection. That sentence is the whole enforcement theory. Pass, then pick up the bird.
What raptors can an Arizona apprentice keep?
An Arizona apprentice keeps only what both 50 CFR 21.82 and R12-4-422 allow at that class, and the federal floor starts with a one-raptor possession cap for apprentices. Species lists and wild-take rules can be tighter in Arizona than the federal minimum. Confirm the current state list before you trap, buy, or take a bird on a verbal maybe. [1][5]
I would plan a passage red-tailed hawk if the current Arizona apprentice list allows it. That bird teaches weight, slips, and recovery without the drama people shop for on social media. Harris's hawks fit Arizona heat and hunt style, but only if they are legal at your class in the year you apply. Do not pick the species from a video. Pick it from the rule.
Skip any plan that starts with a peregrine, a golden eagle, or a listed species. Eagle falconry is a Master-class federal problem with extra paper. Threatened and endangered species are not apprentice projects. If Arizona opens a special take in a given year, that quota and window live in that year's Commission materials. Confirm. Do not build year one around a drawing you have not won.
Captive-bred birds still count against your class cap and still need acquisition reporting. A breeder cannot waive the state license. If a seller says the bird is already legal because it hatched in a barn, walk away. [1][9]
Do you need a hunting license to hunt with a hawk in Arizona?
Yes, if you take wildlife with the bird. Arizona Revised Statutes 17-331 require a valid license or a commission exemption before a person takes wildlife. Falconry method does not erase that duty. Carry both the falconry license and the hunting license when you leave the truck. [2]
ARS 17-331 says a person shall not take any wildlife in this state without a valid license or a commission exemption. [2] That is the quote to remember when someone at the coffee shop says the hawk is the license. The hawk is the method. The hunting license is the take authority, plus whatever stamps or harvest registrations apply to that quarry that year.
Seasons, legal species, and bag limits sit in Commission orders and the current hunting regulations. Confirm them the week you hunt. Gambel's quail and legal rabbits are the classic Arizona picture. Dates move. Some mammals people assume are free are not. Read the order.
Falconry does not let you hunt inside city limits, on closed wildlife areas, or across a posted fence. Land permission is still land permission. A flying raptor is a poor argument with a landowner who did not say yes.
If you will only fly at an already-taken lure on private ground and never slip at wild quarry, ask the Department how they treat that fact pattern. Do not invent a training exception. Get it in writing from the agency that would cite you.
How does raptor reporting and banding work in Arizona?
You report every acquisition, transfer, loss, and death of a falconry raptor on the federal 3-186A system (or the electronic equivalent the Service is using). Arizona does not give you a side ledger that replaces that report. Late paperwork is how clean keepers look dirty. [1][9]
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service electronic falconry database is the practical door for many of those filings. [9] Keep copies. If the site is down the day a bird dies, you still owe a timely report. Confirm the current method and deadline with the Department and with 50 CFR 21.82. Do not rely on a screenshot from 2019.
Bands matter on wild-caught birds of the species the federal rule names. You do not invent a band number. You do not fly an unbanded wild take that required a band. Captive-bred birds come with their own markers. Match the marker to the 3-186A. Inspectors can read a band. So can a prosecutor.
If a bird is stolen, lost, or dies, report first and grieve second. That sounds cold. It is how you stay licensed. A carcass in the freezer with no paper trail is not respect. It is a violation waiting on a date.
What if you already hold falconry paper in another state?
A move into Arizona is a new Arizona license plus a new facilities inspection, not an automatic stamp on your old card. Federal rules require you to deal with the agency in the state you enter. Confirm the notice window in 50 CFR 21.82 and the Arizona application the week you unload the mews panels. [1][5]
Your class usually comes with you if you truly held that class in good standing. Arizona can still ask for proof, a copy of the old permit, and a clean inspection here. Do not fly in Arizona on an out-of-state card past whatever notice and application period the rules give you. Ask the Department in writing.
Temporary hunting visits are a different fact pattern from a change of residence. Resident licenses are for residents. If you still live in another state and only want to hunt Arizona for a week, confirm visitor rules with both agencies before you load the bird. Guessing at a port of entry is how birds get seized.
Coming off the Front Range, start with your current file and then read the Colorado falconry board notes next to this page. Coming from the coast, do the same with California. The bird does not care which form you forgot. The warden does.
What paper mistakes stall Arizona applicants?
The stall I see talked about most is building the mews, buying the bird, and only then hunting for a sponsor. Reverse that and most of the pain goes away. The second stall is studying meme sheets instead of 50 CFR 21.82 and Title 12, Chapter 4. [1][5]
Other unforced errors: treating a federal 3-186A as optional, skipping the hunting license on opening morning, listing a sponsor who is not eligible in Arizona, and moving from another state without a new inspection. People also wait for a federal falconry permit that no longer arrives in the mailbox. That permit system changed after the 2008 rule. [6][2]
Do not copy housing photos from a wet climate and expect them to pass a June inspection in the Sonoran Desert. Shade, airflow, and water fail in Arizona for reasons Florida falconry board applicants never think about. Island comparisons are even worse. If you are actually relocating across water, read the Hawaii falconry board page as a reminder that not every state runs the same machine.
A milder mistake is over-talking the Commission when you needed a regional office. Rule complaints go one place. Inspection appointments go another. Send the form to the unit that prints licenses. [12]
If a relative in another state is coaching you from memory, park that advice next to the current Arizona text. Illinois falconry board rules will not pass your mews in Pinal County.
Where do you confirm current Arizona falconry rules?
Confirm the living rules in three places: 50 CFR 21.82 on eCFR, Arizona Administrative Code Title 12, Chapter 4 (including R12-4-422) from the Secretary of State, and Arizona Revised Statutes Title 17 for licenses and take. Then call Arizona Game and Fish for the exam, the inspection, and the form they want this month. [1][5][2]
Forum PDFs go stale. This page will go stale on fees and office names too. Statutes and the official code compilation are the board-confirmable record. If a sentence here and the code disagree, the code wins. FalconryPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not a service company. No one here can approve your mews.
Print the federal section and the Arizona chapter. Mark the exam, sponsor, housing, possession, and reporting paragraphs. Take that stack to your sponsor. Take the same stack to the inspector. That is the whole professional posture.
If you still want a single paid checklist after you have read the primary text, the $149 State Exam + Sponsor + Mews Kit is at /start. It does not replace the Department. It does not speed an inspection. Use it only as a study organizer, then go back to the official pages before you spend on wire.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for falconry in Arizona?
Yes. You need an Arizona falconry license to possess a raptor for falconry. You also need an Arizona hunting license to take quarry with the bird. Federal migratory bird law still applies. A captive-bred purchase does not skip either license. Confirm the current application with Arizona Game and Fish.
How much does falconry cost in Arizona?
State falconry and hunting license fees are the small line. Confirm them on ARS 17-333 and the Department fee list the week you pay. Housing, food, and vet care are the real bill. There is no solid public study that prices a full Arizona apprentice year. Add published fees to local receipts. Do not trust an old forum total.
How long does falconry take in Arizona?
The first license takes as long as study, an exam date, a finished mews, and an inspection calendar take. Confirm those with the Department. Nobody should promise a week count. The apprentice class itself lasts at least 2 years under 50 CFR 21.82. Master eligibility is at least 5 more years after General.
Is there a separate Arizona falconry board or is it Game and Fish?
There is no standalone falconry licensing board. The Arizona Game and Fish Commission writes the rules under Title 17. The Department gives the exam, inspects facilities, and issues Apprentice, General, and Master licenses. When people say falconry board they mean that Commission plus Department staff.
What score do you need on the Arizona falconry exam?
Federal falconry rules require a score of at least 80 percent on the state examination (50 CFR 21.82). Arizona administers that exam. Confirm scheduling, retake rules, and study materials with the Department. Treat it as a closed-book wildlife exam, not a club quiz.
Can a nonresident get an Arizona falconry license?
Falconry permits are built around the state where you reside. If Arizona is not your residence, do not assume you can hold an Arizona class license. Short hunting visits are a different question. Confirm both facts with Arizona Game and Fish and with your home agency before you transport a bird.
How old do you have to be for falconry in Arizona?
The federal floor is 12 for Apprentice and 16 for General and Master. A parent or guardian takes responsibility for a minor. Arizona can set a higher minimum in R12-4-422. Confirm the state age line before you promise a 12-year-old a hawk. Age 16 plus 5 years at General is the earliest federal Master path if you enter General at 16.
Do you need a sponsor for an Arizona apprentice license?
Yes. Apprentices need a General or Master sponsor under the federal standards, and Arizona can add extra conditions on who may sponsor. Get the name on the application before you build or buy. Confirm your sponsor is eligible with the Department. I'd meet more than one candidate before I sign anyone's form.
Can you keep a Harris's hawk as an Arizona apprentice?
Only if the current Arizona apprentice species list and your possession cap allow it. Federal rules cap apprentices at one raptor and let states tighten species. Harris's hawks suit Arizona heat, but the rule, not the climate, decides. Read R12-4-422 and ask the Department before money changes hands.
Does Arizona still issue a federal falconry permit?
No separate federal falconry permit is issued to you the way it once was. The 2008 federal rule moved administration to qualifying states. Arizona issues the class license. You still comply with 50 CFR 21.82 and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Reporting still runs through the federal 3-186A system.
What happens if your mews fails inspection in Arizona?
You do not possess the bird until the facility passes. Fix the written deficiencies and request another inspection. Confirm the re-inspection process with the Department. Do not park a hawk at a friend's house as a workaround unless that site is already licensed and the transfer is reported. Failed inspections are delays, not informal yeses.
Can you hunt jackrabbits with a falconry bird in Arizona?
Only if that species is legal quarry in the current Commission order, you hold the required hunting license, and you are on land you may hunt. Falconry is a method, not a free season. Confirm jackrabbit and cottontail status, any bag limit, and any unit closure the week you go. Dates and legal lists change.
How do you transfer a falconry bird into Arizona?
You need lawful possession at your class, a completed 3-186A (or electronic equivalent), and whatever Arizona license and inspection the move requires. A breeder invoice is not enough. If you are changing residence, get Arizona paper rather than flying forever on the old state card. Confirm the notice window in 50 CFR 21.82.
Where do you take the Arizona falconry exam?
Arizona Game and Fish schedules and administers the exam. Locations and dates are Department decisions, not something a website can honestly lock in. Ask the falconry or regional licensing contact on the current azgfd.com directory. Bring whatever ID the Department lists. Passing is 80 percent or better under the federal floor.
Sources
- eCFR, 50 CFR 21.82 Falconry standards and falconry permitting: Federal floor for the 80 percent exam, apprentice/general/master ladder, 2-year and 5-year experience minimums, age floors, inspection, possession, and reporting.
- Arizona Legislature, ARS 17-331 License or proof of exemption required: A person shall not take wildlife in Arizona without a valid license or a commission exemption.
- Arizona Legislature, ARS 17-332 License classifications: Arizona statute authorizes hunting and related license classifications issued under Title 17.
- Arizona Legislature, ARS 17-333 License fees: Title 17 is where Arizona sets or authorizes the current license fee schedule that applicants must confirm.
- Arizona Secretary of State, AAC Title 12 Chapter 4 Game and Fish Commission rules: Official compilation of Arizona Game and Fish live-wildlife rules, including raptor and falconry regulation R12-4-422.
- Federal Register, 2008 final rule E8-23285 on falconry permitting: Federal administration of falconry permits moved to qualifying states, ending the old dual federal permit practice.
- Cornell LII, 16 U.S.C. § 703 Migratory Bird Treaty Act: Taking or possessing migratory birds is unlawful except as permitted by regulation.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918: USFWS overview of the Treaty Act as the federal prohibition that falconry permits sit under.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ePermits falconry database (FALCP): Federal electronic system used to file falconry acquisition and disposition reports (Form 3-186A equivalent).
- North American Falconers Association, Become a Falconer: Industry body description of apprenticeship as the standard North American entry path.
- Arizona Legislature, ARS 17-101 Definitions: Title 17 definitions that frame wildlife, take, and Commission authority for license questions.
- Arizona Legislature, ARS 17-231 General powers and duties of the commission: The Game and Fish Commission, not a separate falconry board, holds statutory power to adopt wildlife rules.