Last updated 2026-08-19
TL;DR
California falconry permits run two calendar years and expire December 31 of the second year. You renew on CDFW Form 1420B, keep a current hunting license, and stay caught up on federal 3-186A reports. Fees and processing times change. Confirm both with the CDFW License and Revenue Branch and USFWS before you mail anything.
Do you need a license for falconry in California?
Yes. You cannot take, possess, or hunt with a raptor in California without a valid state falconry permit and a current California hunting license. The federal framework sits under 50 CFR 21.82. California runs that framework through Fish and Game Code section 395 and Title 14, California Code of Regulations, section 670 [1][2][3].
The federal language is blunt. 50 CFR 21.82(a) says a permit is required "before you may take, possess, or transport raptors for falconry purposes or practice falconry." California stacks its own permit, facility inspection, and reporting rules on top of that [1].
A hunting license is not optional decoration. Title 14 CCR 670(e)(2)(C) says you need a valid hunting license to take a raptor from the wild, and 670(h)(8) says you need one to hunt with a raptor. That license runs on its own cycle. Do not assume the falconry permit covers it [3].
Let the state permit lapse and you are not a falconer on paper. Your birds, bands, and facilities still have to match what you last reported. That is the point of renewal. The file stays current, and the file matters more than the plastic card.
How long is a California falconry permit good for?
Two years, ending December 31 of the second calendar year. Title 14 CCR 670(e)(2)(B) states that a falconry permit is valid from the date it is issued through December 31 of the second calendar year after issuance. That is the clock you build around [3].
Federal falconry permits, back when they were issued separately, ran three years. The 3-186A reporting cycle is still annual. Do not braid the two clocks together. California is two years. Federal bird reports are yearly [1][4].
No public page publishes a guaranteed turnaround for Form 1420B. The CDFW License and Revenue Branch handles the paper. Mail early enough that a late December expiration does not leave you unlicensed on January 1. Ask the branch for current intake times before you bet a date on it [5].
Moving, changing facilities, or bumping up a class is not a simple renewal. Those are amendment or inspection events. Treat them as separate paper, not a checkbox on the same form.
What form do you file to renew falconry in California?
CDFW Form 1420B, Application for Falconry Permit. The current public PDF is the 11/2022 revision on wildlife.ca.gov. You use that same form for new permits and for renewals. Read the header. It is one application, not a renewal-only sheet [6].
Form 1420B asks for your class (Apprentice, General, Master), sponsor information if you are still an apprentice, facility address, raptor inventory, and hunting license data. It also tells you to attach the nonrefundable fee. The form lists the fee as current at the time of printing. Fees move. Confirm the number on the CDFW License and Revenue Branch fee schedule before you write the check [5][6].
Mail it to the address printed on the form. Do not invent a field office. The 11/2022 PDF sends applications to the License and Revenue Branch in Sacramento. If the posted PDF is newer when you apply, follow its address, not this article [6].
Keep a copy of everything you send. Band numbers, 3-186A confirmations, and your last inspection letter all belong in one folder. If CDFW asks a question, you want to be quoting the same numbers they already have on file.
How much does falconry cost in California?
The state permit fee is not a fixed lifetime number. Form 1420B and the License and Revenue Branch fee pages are the source of truth. Confirm the current amount there. Do not copy a blog figure from three years back [5][6].
You also buy a California hunting license every year you take a bird or hunt. Resident sport hunting license prices sit on CDFW's hunting license pages and change by license year. Nonresidents pay a different rate. Add hunter education if you never finished it [7].
Federal side: USFWS does not charge a separate falconry permit fee in states that run a certified program, but you still file 3-186A reports. Migratory Bird Treaty Act rules still bind you. There is no "federal card" you buy each year in California, whatever people remember from the old dual-permit days [1][4].
First-year cash is a different animal from the renewal bill. Housing, telemetry, food, vet work, and a vehicle that can haul a giant hood add up faster than the permit line ever will. FalconryPath's $149 State Exam + Sponsor + Mews Kit is one way to organize the exam and housing paper. It does not replace CDFW fees or a sponsor's time.
Waste of money: buying a second telemetry brand before you have flown a single season, or building a mews to a Pinterest plan that flunks the Title 14 CCR 670(j) indoor and outdoor specs. Read the regulation. Then build [3].
How long does falconry take in California?
The apprenticeship runs two years at Apprentice class, under a sponsor, before you can test up to General. Title 14 CCR 670(e)(6) and the federal table in 50 CFR 21.82 set the class ladder. California follows that ladder. You do not skip years because you already own a mews [1][3].
The written exam is a pass/fail gate before your first permit. California requires a score of 80 percent or better on the supervised exam, per Title 14 CCR 670(e)(2)(A). Study the state regs and the federal Part 21 language, not a meme quiz off a forum [3].
How long until you actually hunt? That rides on trapping season, a usable bird, and whether your facilities pass inspection. Trapping windows for wild raptors sit in 670(h). Read the current text for species and dates. They are not the same month to month [3].
Renewal itself should be a paperwork afternoon if your file is clean. The two-year permit plus the annual 3-186A habit is the real time cost once you are licensed. Miss a report and you will spend more time fixing the file than you spent hunting last season [4].
What federal paper still applies when you renew in California?
Form 3-186A, the migratory bird acquisition and disposition report. USFWS still wants it when you acquire, transfer, lose, or lose a bird to death, and California requires you to keep the same records. File it electronically through the USFWS 3-186A system unless the Service tells you otherwise [4].
50 CFR 21.82(e) covers banding, reporting, and take. California's 670(i) and 670(k) point straight back at those federal duties. Renewal is a bad moment to discover a band number that never made it onto a 3-186A [1][3][4].
Recapture a bird, transfer one out of state, or hold a bird under another permit type (education, abatement), and that is extra paper. Do not bury it inside a renewal. Call it what it is, on the form that matches the event.
USFWS keeps the list of states with certified falconry programs. California is on it. Certification is why you do not hold a separate federal falconry permit today. Certification does not erase reporting [1].
What happens if your California falconry permit expires?
You may not take, possess, or hunt with a raptor as a falconer. That is the legal line in 50 CFR 21.82(a) and Fish and Game Code 395. Possession without a permit is not a paperwork oops. It is a violation [1][2].
CDFW can make you reapply instead of renew if you run late. The public form promises no grace window. Ask the License and Revenue Branch what they will accept after December 31. Do not guess from a forum post [5][6].
Birds already in your possession still need legal housing and a legal permit holder. If you cannot renew in time, transfer planning is the grown-up move. Transfers still need a 3-186A and any state transfer rules in 670 [3][4].
Lapsed apprentices can lose sponsor continuity. A sponsor who already signed two years of logs may not feel like restarting the clock. Fix the date before you have to ask for the favor.
Do you need a new facility inspection to renew?
Not automatically. Title 14 CCR 670(j) requires facilities to meet the indoor and outdoor standards before you get a bird, and CDFW inspects before first issuance. A clean renewal with the same address and same housing is usually paper only. Confirm it with the warden or the license desk if anything about the mews changed [3][5].
Move, add a weathering yard, or switch from indoor-only to a mixed setup, and you should treat it as a new inspection. The regulation cares about the actual enclosure, not the story you told two years ago.
Photograph the doors, perches, and bath pans the week you mail 1420B. If someone asks, you can hand them the same view they would get on a driveway visit. That is cheaper than a failed surprise inspection.
Other states run this differently. If you are comparing paper, falconry renewal in Arizona and falconry renewal in Colorado both sit in the same federal 21.82 box with different state clocks.
How do hunting licenses and stamps line up with falconry renewal?
They do not line up, and that trips people. The falconry permit is two years. The hunting license is annual. Upland game bird stamps and other validations follow the hunt you actually fly. Buy what the current CDFW hunting license page lists for the species you chase [7].
You need the hunting license in hand before you trap and before you hunt. Title 14 CCR 670 is plain on both points. A renewed falconry permit paired with an expired hunting license still leaves you short [3].
Nonresidents who keep a California falconry permit still buy the nonresident hunting license to hunt here. Do not assume a home-state license covers a California field. Confirm with CDFW before you trailer a bird across the line [7].
Federal duck stamps are a waterfowl rule, not a falconry permit rule. Fly ducks and you already know that stamp. Do not fly ducks and you can skip it.
What should you put in the renewal packet besides Form 1420B?
A copy of your current hunting license, a raptor inventory that matches your 3-186A, and payment in the form CDFW lists on the current 1420B. Still an apprentice? Include current sponsor information exactly as the form asks. Incomplete sponsor blocks bounce [6].
If CDFW issued you a facility inspection letter, keep it. You may not have to reattach it, but you want the date and the inspector's name if they ask. Same goes for any prior amendment approvals.
Do not stuff the envelope with essays. They want the form, the fee, and a file that matches their database. Extra pages do not speed anything up.
Hold permits in another state? Say so only where the form asks. Dual-state possession carries extra federal and state limits. Read 50 CFR 21.82 and 670 before you list a second address [1][3].
How does California compare to other states on renewal?
California's two-year permit ending December 31 is shorter than some three-year state cards and longer than the annual ones. Federal 21.82 lets each state set the administrative cycle as long as it stays certified. That is why falconry renewal in Florida and falconry renewal in Idaho will not match California's calendar even though the bird rules rhyme [1].
Fees are not comparable without the current state fee table in front of you. California posts fees through the License and Revenue Branch. Other states post through their own license vendors. Open the current PDF every time [5].
Inspection culture differs too. Some states inspect every cycle. California's public regulation ties the hard inspection to getting and housing birds, not automatically to every renewal. Practice can drift even when the text holds still. Ask the person who last walked your mews [3].
Moving? Start the new state's application before California expires. Reciprocity is thin. A California Master class helps, but it does not print you a card in another state.
What is a waste of time on California falconry renewal?
Calling three regional offices when the form says Sacramento. Emailing a warden for a fee quote when the License and Revenue Branch page already lists it. Rewriting your life story in the comments box [5][6].
Buying a new giant hood the week before you mail 1420B will not fix a bad inventory. Fix the 3-186A first [4].
Waiting until mid-December because "they always turn it around in two weeks." No public service standard says that. Mail earlier. Confirm intake with the branch if you are already behind [5].
Reading only social threads about "how California really works." The binding text is Fish and Game Code 395, Title 14 CCR 670, and 50 CFR 21.82. Start there [1][2][3].
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a license for falconry in California?
Yes. You need a CDFW falconry permit and a valid California hunting license to take, possess, or hunt with a raptor. Federal 50 CFR 21.82 still applies. California runs the activity under Fish and Game Code 395 and Title 14 CCR 670. Confirm both documents before you trap or fly.
How much does falconry cost in California?
The permit fee is whatever the License and Revenue Branch and Form 1420B list right now. Add an annual hunting license, food, housing, and vet care. Those lines dwarf the application check. Confirm current fees on CDFW pages. Do not use an old blog number.
How long does falconry take in California?
Apprentice class runs two years with a sponsor before General. The written exam requires 80 percent. The permit itself lasts two calendar years through December 31 of the second year. Trapping and first-bird timing depend on the seasons in Title 14 CCR 670, not on your exam date.
When does a California falconry permit expire?
December 31 of the second calendar year after issuance, per Title 14 CCR 670(e)(2)(B). Build your 1420B packet well before that date. CDFW publishes no guaranteed processing window. Confirm intake with the License and Revenue Branch if you are close to the deadline.
What form is used for falconry renewal in California?
CDFW Form 1420B, Application for Falconry Permit (public PDF revision 11/2022 as posted). It covers new permits and renewals. Follow the mailing address and fee instructions on the version currently posted on wildlife.ca.gov, not a saved copy from a prior cycle.
Do I still file Form 3-186A if California issues the permit?
Yes. Acquisition, transfer, loss, and death events all go on USFWS Form 3-186A. California's 670 record rules point at that federal report. Keep band numbers identical across the state packet and the 3-186A file, or the renewal will stall.
Can I hunt if my falconry permit is current but my hunting license lapsed?
No. Title 14 CCR 670 requires a valid hunting license to take a raptor from the wild and to hunt with a raptor. Renew the hunting license on its own annual cycle. The two-year falconry permit does not stand in for it.
Is a new mews inspection required every renewal?
Not automatically if the address and housing are unchanged. Inspection is required before you house a bird and whenever facilities change. If you moved or rebuilt, treat renewal as an inspection event. Confirm with CDFW rather than assuming last year's letter still covers a new yard.
What if my permit expires on December 31 and I still have a bird?
Possession without a valid permit is not allowed under 50 CFR 21.82 and Fish and Game Code 395. Contact CDFW before the date. Transfer planning and 3-186A paperwork take time. Do not wait until January to ask what to do with the bird.
Does California still require a federal falconry permit?
California runs a federally certified program under 50 CFR 21.82, so you hold the state permit instead of a separate federal falconry card. Certification does not remove banding, take limits, or 3-186A reporting. Those federal duties stay with the bird.
Where do I mail Form 1420B?
To the License and Revenue Branch address printed on the current Form 1420B PDF. The 11/2022 public form lists Sacramento. If CDFW posts a newer revision, use that address. Do not mail it to a random regional wildlife office.
Can an apprentice renew without the same sponsor?
You still need a sponsor who meets the Title 14 CCR 670 class rules. A sponsor change is not a silent box. Put the current sponsor on 1420B exactly as the form asks. If the relationship ended, fix that before you claim two continuous apprentice years.
Sources
- eCFR 50 CFR 21.82 Falconry standards and falconry permitting: Federal rule requiring a falconry permit before taking, possessing, or transporting raptors, and setting class standards and reporting duties.
- California Fish and Game Code section 395: California statute authorizing regulation of falconry and possession of raptors used in falconry.
- Title 14, California Code of Regulations, section 670 Falconry: State falconry regulation covering permit term through December 31 of the second calendar year, 80 percent exam, hunting license, facilities, take, and records.
- CDFW License and Revenue Branch contact and licensing desk: CDFW office that administers license applications, fee questions, and current processing intake for permit paper.
- CDFW Form 1420B Application for Falconry Permit (Rev. 11/2022): Current public application used to apply for or renew a California falconry permit, including fee and mailing instructions on the form.
- CDFW hunting licenses and tags: CDFW page for current hunting license products that falconers must hold to take or hunt with raptors.
- California Legislative Information Fish and Game Code Division 1: Parent code branch that contains section 395 and related CDFW licensing authority.
- eCFR 50 CFR Part 21 Migratory bird permits: Parent federal part for migratory bird permits including falconry standards in section 21.82.
- CDFW Falconry program page: CDFW program page pointing applicants to state falconry rules and application materials.