Last updated 2026-08-18
TL;DR
California does not run falconry through a standalone board. The Fish and Game Commission writes the rules. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife issues the license, inspects facilities, and enforces them. You need that license plus, for hunting, a California hunting license. Plan on an 80 percent exam, a sponsor, a mews inspection, and at least two years as an apprentice before you move up.
What is the falconry board in California?
There is no California Falconry Board. The Fish and Game Commission writes the falconry rules. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife issues the license, inspects facilities, and enforces them. That pair is what people mean when they say the board. [2][3][7]
Do not go looking for a governor-appointed falconry board with a public comment night. You will waste a month. California folded this sport into wildlife law, not into a consumer affairs board.
The Commission adopts 14 CCR section 670, titled Practice of Falconry. CDFW runs the exam, takes the application, and either inspects your mews or accepts an inspection that meets its current process. Confirm the inspector path on the Department's falconry page. It has changed more than once. [2][3]
Federal standards sit under that stack. 50 CFR 21.82 is the national floor California had to meet so residents would not also carry a separate U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service falconry permit. The 2008 federal rule is what dropped the old dual-permit system for certified states. [1][4]
I treat CDFW as the counter you actually talk to. The Commission is where the text of section 670 gets amended. USFWS still owns bands, many eagle questions, and the 3-186A reporting channel. Three desks. One sport. [1][8]
Do you need a license for falconry in California?
Yes. You need a California falconry license to possess a raptor for falconry in this state. A hunting license alone does not cover the bird. A rehab or education authorization does not convert into falconry paper. [2][3]
That is the whole short answer. The long one is layered, because two governments wrote it.
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it unlawful, unless permitted, "to pursue, hunt, take, capture, kill, attempt to take, capture, or kill" any migratory bird. Almost every falconry species sits on that list. No authorization, no legal possession. [5]
California's authority to require its own license sits in Fish and Game Code section 200, which gives the Commission power to regulate the taking or possession of birds, and in Fish and Game Code section 3513, which ties migratory birds back to the federal Act. 14 CCR section 670 is where that power becomes the falconry license you actually carry. [3][6][7]
50 CFR 21.82 is the federal floor California had to meet as a certified state. You follow those class, exam, facility, and reporting standards plus whatever tighter language section 670 adds this year. [1]
If you are 12 to 17, the federal floor still lets you start as an apprentice with a parent or guardian on the paperwork. General class starts at 16. Read the current text of 14 CCR 670 before you assume California copied those ages word for word. [1][3]
Watching a field meet is free. Holding the bird overnight is not.
Who actually issues a California falconry license?
CDFW issues the California falconry license. Fish and Game Code section 1050 puts license issuance in the department's hands. The Commission writes rules. It does not mail the card. [2][11]
USFWS does not issue a California resident a separate federal falconry permit anymore. That is the point of state certification under 50 CFR 21.82. You may still deal with USFWS for a band, a 3-186A filing, or an eagle authorization. Those are different tickets. [1][8]
Applications, exams, and facility inspections go through the Department's falconry program. Names of units inside CDFW shift. Use the live falconry licensing page, not a forum post from 2016. [2]
Nonresidents are a special case. If your home state is certified and California recognizes that class, you may be able to fly here under conditions in section 670. Confirm that in the current regulation. Reciprocity language is easy to get wrong. [3]
If someone quotes you a processing time, smile and call CDFW. I will not invent one.
How do you get a falconry license in California?
You pass a supervised exam, secure a sponsor if you are an apprentice, build legal facilities, get them inspected, and submit whatever application CDFW is using this year. Then you wait for the license before you possess a bird. [1][2][3]
Order matters. Plenty of people build a beautiful mews, buy a giant hood, and then discover they cannot find a sponsor. I would reverse that. Find the sponsor first. The sponsor is the scarce part in California falconry, not the lumber.
Federal class structure is the skeleton California uses.
| Class | Federal minimum age | Time gate | Federal wild-bird floor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | 12 | At least 2 years of actual practice | 1 raptor, limited species |
| General | 16 | At least 5 years at General before Master | 3 raptors |
| Master | 16 in the rule, later in real life | None after you qualify | 5 wild raptors, captive-bred rules differ |
Those caps and species lists can be tighter in 14 CCR 670. Confirm the current table in both texts before you plan a second bird. [1][3]
An apprentice needs a sponsor who is a General or Master falconer meeting the experience rules in 50 CFR 21.82. You stay an apprentice at least two years, and you have to actually practice. Maintain, train, fly, and hunt. Holding a card in a drawer does not count. [1]
The exam is written. 50 CFR 21.82 says you must "correctly answer at least 80 percent of the questions on an examination administered by the State." California uses that bar. Study raptor identification, facilities, law, weather, and field care. [1]
After you pass, you still do not have a bird. Facilities have to meet the indoor and outdoor standards in the federal rule and in section 670. Then inspection. Then the license. Then acquisition. Report that bird on Form 3-186A. [1][8]
If you want a single checklist for the exam, the sponsor hunt, and the mews build, FalconryPath publishes a $149 State Exam + Sponsor + Mews Kit at /start. You can also print the CDFW materials and walk the same path with a club sponsor for no kit fee. I would still start on the CDFW page either way.
How much does falconry cost in California?
Nobody publishes a clean statewide average of first-year falconry spend in California. The closest hard numbers are CDFW's posted license fees (they change, so read the live table) and the federal time gates, which cost you years more than they cost you dollars. [2]
Budget three buckets.
Paper. A California falconry license fee, plus a California hunting license if you will hunt, plus any upland validation or federal duck stamp your quarry requires. Confirm every dollar on the CDFW falconry page and the CDFW hunting license page the week you pay. I will not invent a fee that will be wrong by the time you read this. [2][9][10]
Housing. A legal mews and weathering area. This is lumber, wire, shade, a bath pan, and perches that will not foot-damage a hawk. A tight backyard build can stay in the low hundreds if you already own tools. A pretty backyard build runs into the thousands. Fancy stonework does not make you a falconer. It does impress neighbors who will later complain about the screaming.
Gear. A glove, jesses, swivel, leash, scale, and a giant hood or transport box. Telemetry is the item people overbuy. For a first-year red-tail on rabbits, a basic transmitter helps. A multi-thousand-dollar receiver stack is usually ego. Food (quail, rats, beef heart) is the quiet monthly bill. Vet care is the bill that punches.
The honest range I give friends is this. You can stand up a legal apprentice year for a four-figure total if you scrounge and hunt local quarry. You can also spend five figures before the bird ever weighs in. Most of the extra is housing looks and radio gear. I would spend first on a legal mews, a decent scale, and gas money for the sponsor.
How long does falconry take in California?
The clock that matters is two years. Federal apprentice class runs a minimum of two years of actual practice before you move to General. Master class takes at least five more years at General. That is a seven-year floor to Master, not a suggestion. 50 CFR 21.82 writes those gates. California follows them. [1]
Getting to the start line is separate. Finding a sponsor in California can take weeks or a year. Clubs help. Cold emailing random General falconers usually fails. Build the mews while you look, but do not possess a bird.
Exam prep is the short part. A focused month of nights is enough for most people who already hunt. If you cannot tell a Cooper's hawk from a sharp-shin in the hand, study longer. The 80 percent bar is real. [1]
Inspection scheduling is the part I will not timestamp. CDFW workload, your county, and whether they still use designated inspectors all move. Confirm current wait with the falconry desk. No article should promise you a date. [2]
After you are licensed, trapping or acquiring a legal apprentice bird still depends on season, your sponsor's sign-off, and luck. Some apprentices trap in the first legal window. Some take a second season. That is field reality, not a regulatory delay.
So: paper in months if the sponsor appears, apprentice card for at least two years, General for at least five if you want Master. Plan the two-year block. Do not plan your personality around Master class.
What does the California falconry exam cover?
The California falconry exam is a supervised written test. You need at least 80 percent correct. That number is not folklore. It is the federal minimum in 50 CFR 21.82, and California uses it. [1]
Expect questions on law, facilities, raptor ID, food, disease, weather, and what you may not do as an apprentice. Species ID photos show up. So do traps like whether an apprentice may keep a peregrine. Read 14 CCR 670 and 50 CFR 21.82 until they are boring. [1][3]
CDFW tells you where and how to sit the exam on the falconry licensing page. Do not use a third-party date list. [2]
I would not pay for a glossy guaranteed-pass course. The source texts are public. A local sponsor walking you through a mews and a weathered bird teaches more than any slide deck.
Failing is not fatal. Study the sections you missed and retake when the Department lets you. Confirm retake rules with them. I will not invent a waiting period.
Do you need a sponsor and a mews inspection in California?
Yes, if you are an apprentice. You need a sponsor, and you need facilities that pass inspection before you keep a bird. Both sit in the federal standards California adopted. [1][3]
A sponsor is a General or Master falconer who agrees to actually mentor you. The federal rule requires that sponsor to meet experience tests (generally two years already at General or Master, depending on the clause you are under). California can be stricter. Read section 670. [1][3]
A paper-only sponsor is a bad bet. When the red-tail's feet go wrong, you want someone who will answer the phone.
Mews means an indoor facility that protects the bird from predators and weather, with a pan of clean water, a safe perch, and enough room that the bird will not damage feathers. Weathering area is the outdoor piece, over a graveled or well-drained floor, with protection from sun and predators. The federal rule lists the construction standards. Copy them. Do not improvise chicken-wire art. [1]
Inspection happens before possession. If an inspector says rebuild the door latch, rebuild the door latch. Arguing about looks is how people sit another month empty-handed.
What hunting licenses do you need on top of falconry paper?
If you take game with the raptor, you also need a California hunting license. Fish and Game Code section 3007 requires a hunting license to take birds or mammals, with the exceptions written in that section. Falconry is a method of take. It is not a substitute license. [9][10]
Buy the hunting license that matches your residency and the season you will hunt. If you chase migratory game birds, you may also need federal duck stamp paper. Upland-only rabbit and squirrel work is simpler. Confirm current stamps and validations on the CDFW hunting page. Fees change every license year. [10]
Your falconry license does not extend the hunting season. It does not add bag. You hunt in the open season, on legal species, with whatever extra method rules section 670 and the hunting regs pile on.
Private land still needs permission. Public land still needs the right pass. A hawk on the glove does not open a refuge.
Nonresidents may need a nonresident hunting license on top of whatever falconry reciprocity they have. That bill hurts. Check it before you drive.
Can you bring a falconry bird into California from another state?
Sometimes. If you are already a licensed falconer in another certified state, California may let you bring a bird through or hunt here under 14 CCR 670's visitor and import rules. Those rules are specific. Read them. [1][3]
Health certificates and entry requirements for live raptors can sit in other agencies too. A hawk is livestock and wildlife at the same time. Confirm current import steps with CDFW before the bird is in the truck.
Temporary visitors and people moving residence are different files. Moving here means you will likely need a California falconry license of the matching class, a facilities inspection, and a transfer of the bird onto your new paper via 3-186A. [2][8]
Compare this to how Arizona handles falconry paper or Colorado's falconry path if you are dual-state. Do not assume the classes port one-for-one until both states say they do.
Hawaii is the warning case. Read Hawaii's falconry board rules before you even joke about shipping a bird across the Pacific.
What records and reports does California require?
You report acquisitions, transfers, escapes, and deaths on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Form 3-186A. 50 CFR 21.82 sets a short calendar window. Read the current day count in that section. Do not rely on memory. California expects you to stay current on that federal form and on any state add-ons in section 670. [1][8]
Keep a copy of your license, your inspection, your 3-186A submissions, and your hunting license in the vehicle when you field the bird. Officers should not have to guess.
Lost bird? File it the way the regulation says, and keep looking. A transmitter helps here more than it helps on a calm rabbit flight.
Band numbers matter. Do not pull a band. Do not wait until the weekend to file a transfer. The people who get jammed up on falconry paper usually got sloppy on reporting, not on flying.
What happens if you skip a step or keep a raptor without a license?
Illegal possession of a migratory raptor is a real charge. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is a federal statute. California can stack Fish and Game Code counts on top. Birds get seized. You can lose future license privileges. [5][6]
"I was going to apply next month" is not a defense. "It was a rehab bird my cousin gave me" is how people meet wardens.
I have no patience for the black-market eyas trade. It burns the sport and it is how states tighten section 670. If your only path to a bird is a guy in a parking lot, walk away.
If you already have a problem, talk to a lawyer who actually knows wildlife law. This site is not that.
How does California compare to other states' falconry paper?
California is a certified state under 50 CFR 21.82, the same federal skeleton as Idaho, Florida, Alaska, and Illinois. The differences are in fees, inspector logistics, apprentice species lists, and how picky the state is about facilities photos. [1]
California is crowded. Access to quarry and to a patient sponsor is harder here than in a sparse western state. That is not in the regulation. That is why people stall.
I would rather apprentice in a state where I can actually hunt the bird three days a week than collect a California card and fly a city park. If you already live here, stay and do it right. If you are choosing a state to start, read Alabama's path the same way you are reading this, then pick the place you can field the hawk.
Always confirm the current section 670 text. State guides go stale. The regulation is the source.
FalconryPath is an independent publisher, not a law firm and not CDFW. For a paper checklist see /start. Confirm every fee, form name, and inspection step with the Department before you act.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for falconry in California?
Yes. Possessing a raptor for falconry requires a California falconry license from CDFW. A hunting license does not replace it. 50 CFR 21.82 requires a license from a certified state, and California is one. Rehab or education paper is a different permit. Confirm the current application on CDFW's falconry licensing page before you possess a bird.
How much does falconry cost in California?
License fees are the small line. Confirm them on CDFW's live falconry and hunting pages because they change. First-year real money is the mews, a scale, basic furniture, food, and gas to meet your sponsor. You can keep a legal apprentice year in the four figures if you build simply. Fancy telemetry and decorative housing are where people blow five figures.
How long does falconry take in California?
Getting licensed can take months, mostly waiting on a sponsor and an inspection. The apprentice class itself is at least two years of actual practice under 50 CFR 21.82. Master class needs five more years at General. CDFW does not publish a guaranteed processing time. Confirm current exam and inspection wait with the falconry desk.
Is there a California falconry board I can call?
No separate board. Call CDFW's falconry program for licenses, exams, and inspections. The Fish and Game Commission is who amends 14 CCR 670. USFWS still handles Form 3-186A and banding questions. Start with the Department's falconry licensing page rather than hunting for a board roster that does not exist.
What score do you need on the California falconry exam?
At least 80 percent. That is the federal minimum in 50 CFR 21.82, and California uses it. The test is written and supervised. CDFW posts where to sit it. Study the current text of 14 CCR 670 and the federal facility and class rules. Retake rules belong to the Department. Ask them.
Can a 12-year-old start falconry in California?
The federal floor is 12 for an apprentice, with a parent or guardian on the application if the person is under 18. General class is 16. California can set a higher age in 14 CCR 670. Read the current section and ask CDFW before you promise a kid a hawk. The sponsor still has to agree.
Do I need a hunting license to hunt with a hawk in California?
Yes, if you take birds or mammals. Fish and Game Code section 3007 requires a hunting license for take, with listed exceptions. Falconry is a method, not a substitute license. Add any stamp your quarry needs. Confirm resident versus nonresident fees on CDFW's hunting license page the week you buy.
Can I keep a peregrine as an apprentice in California?
Not under the federal apprentice species list. 50 CFR 21.82 limits apprentices to American kestrel, red-tailed hawk, and red-shouldered hawk, and states may cut that list further. Read 14 CCR 670 for California's current apprentice species. A peregrine is a later-class question, and only if take rules allow it.
How do I report a new falconry bird in California?
File U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Form 3-186A for acquisitions, transfers, escapes, and deaths. 50 CFR 21.82 sets the filing window. Read the current day count in that section. California expects those federal filings plus anything section 670 adds. Keep copies with you in the field.
Can I move to California with falconry birds from another state?
Often yes, if you become a California licensee of the matching class, pass a facilities inspection, and transfer each bird on Form 3-186A. Visitor rules and resident-move rules differ in 14 CCR 670. Confirm import and health steps with CDFW before the birds roll. Do not arrive and figure it out in a hotel.
Does California still require a federal falconry permit?
No separate federal falconry permit for residents of a certified state. 50 CFR 21.82 dropped that dual permit. You still follow federal standards, still use Form 3-186A, and still need USFWS in the loop for bands and some eagles. The state license is the one you carry.
Where do I find the official California falconry regulation?
14 CCR section 670, Practice of Falconry, adopted by the Fish and Game Commission. CDFW's falconry licensing page links the materials they want you to use. Federal floor is 50 CFR 21.82. Read both. If a blog and the regulation disagree, the regulation wins.
What species can a California apprentice trap?
Start with the federal apprentice list: American kestrel, red-tailed hawk, and red-shouldered hawk. California may be narrower in 14 CCR 670. Season, capture methods, and sponsor approval also apply. Confirm the current species list and trapping dates with CDFW before you set a trap. Do not copy another state's list.
Who inspects a falconry mews in California?
CDFW, or a person the Department currently designates. The process has shifted over the years. Ask the falconry desk who inspects your county this year. Do not possess the bird until that inspection is accepted and the license is in hand. Confirm the current process on the CDFW falconry page.
Sources
- eCFR, 50 CFR 21.82 Falconry standards and falconry permitting: Federal falconry standards set an 80 percent exam score, apprentice/general/master classes, 12- and 16-year age floors, 2-year apprentice and 5-year general time gates, facility rules, and state-license certification in place of a separate federal falconry permit.
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Falconry licensing: CDFW administers California falconry licensing, exams, and program materials; current fees and forms must be read on this page.
- Federal Register, Migratory Bird Permits; Changes in the Regulations Governing Falconry (E8-23759): The 2008 USFWS rule set national falconry standards and allowed certified states to administer falconry without a separate federal falconry permit.
- Cornell LII, 16 U.S.C. § 703 Migratory Bird Treaty Act: The MBTA makes it unlawful except as permitted to pursue, hunt, take, capture, or kill migratory birds.
- California Fish and Game Code § 3513: California makes it unlawful to take or possess migratory nongame birds except as provided under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act framework.
- California Fish and Game Code § 200: The Fish and Game Commission has delegated power to regulate the taking or possession of birds.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Form 3-186A: Form 3-186A is the federal migratory bird acquisition and disposition report used for falconry bird transactions.
- California Fish and Game Code § 3007: California requires a hunting license to take birds or mammals, subject to the exceptions in that section.
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Hunting licenses: CDFW publishes current California hunting license classes, validations, and purchase steps.
- California Fish and Game Code § 1050: The department, not the Commission, is the license-issuing agency under Fish and Game Code section 1050.