06/12/2023
VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES
APPLICATION FOR PERMIT TO STUFF AND MOUNT BIRDS, ANIMALS, OR FISH, AND
PARTS OF THEM FOR SALE OR COMPENSATION (30 – TAXD/31 – TXD2)
Permit Term is August 1
st
to July 31
st
(or part thereof/or part thereof for the 1
st
year of a 2 year permit)
Non-refundable Application Fee
Check One: Check One:
Non-refundable Application Fee: ____$40.00 for One Year (TAXD) Permit: ____ NEW ____ RENEWAL
____$80.00 for Two Years (TXD2) Previous Permit Number __________
I hereby apply for a permit to stuff or mount birds, animals, or fish, or parts of them, for compensation or
sale. The business is to be conducted pursuant regulations of the Department as authorized by Title §29.1,
Chapter 4, Code of Virginia. Per Code of Virginia §29.1-564 it is unlawful to possess or sell Threatened &
Endangered Species.
____Mr. ____Mrs. ____Ms. ____Miss.
Name of Applicant: _______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Address
____________________ ____________ _________ _________________________
City State Zip County
Home Phone Number: ___________________ Email Address: ___________________________________
Date of Birth: ______________Last 4 of SSN: Last 4 of Driver’s Lic#:
Name of Business: _______________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
Business Mailing Address
____________________ ____________ _________ _________________________
City State Zip County of Business
Business Phone Number: ________________________
Location of Business: _____________________________________________________________________
(If different from above)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Dealing in migratory waterfowl also requires a Federal Taxidermy Permit, obtainable through the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, Assistant Regional Director, Division of Law, P. O. Box 779, Hadley, MA 01035-0779,
Phone Number: (413) 253-8643.
If dealing with migratory waterfowl, list your Federal Taxidermy Permit number and enclose a copy of your
current Federal Permit.
Federal Permit Number: _________________ (If Applicable)
TURN OVER FOR SIGNATURE BLOCK AND MAILING INSTRUCTIONS
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Make non-refundable application fee check or money order payable to TREASURER OF VIRGINIA for
$40.00 or $80.00 and send to:
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Permits Section
P. O. Box 3337
Henrico, VA 23228
(804) 367-6913
_______________________________ __________________
APPLICANT'S SIGNATURE DATE
By my signature above, I hereby certify that all entries made on this application are true and complete, and I
agree and understand that any falsification of information herein, regardless of time of discovery, may result
in denial or revocation of my permit. Furthermore, I understand that this permit will be issued solely to me and
that no one else is authorized to conduct taxidermy activities pursuant to its authority.
TYPED SIGNATURE IS AUTHORIZED AND BINDING PER CODE OF VIRGINIA §59.1, CHAPTER 42.1, ET SEQ.
06/12/2023
VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE RESOURCES
TAXIDERMY PERMIT INFORMATION
WHO NEEDS A TAXIDERMY PERMIT?
A taxidermy permit is required of any person to mount birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, or amphibians (as well
as the parts of these animals) for compensation or sale. Only the holder of the permit (the permittee) is
authorized, pursuant to the permit, to possess, handle, and/or mount wildlife carcasses or parts thereof. Persons
assisting the taxidermist with preparatory tasks (caping, skinning, fleshing hides, etc.) or finishing work (oiling
eyes, touch ups, etc.) do not need a permit. Unpaid apprentices and volunteers, who receive no compensation
whatsoever, do not need a permit as they are not mounting animals for compensation. Compensated
subpermittees are not authorized pursuant to the Taxidermy Permit.
WHAT SPECIES CAN I MOUNT?
Permittees are authorized to mount all legally possessed wildlife species (see permit conditions below) except
for state and federally listed threatened and endangered (T&E) species. A list of threatened and endangered
(T&E) species can be found at https://www.dwr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/media/virginia-threatened-
endangered-species.pdf. A federal taxidermy permit is needed to mount migratory game birds (e.g. Doves,
woodcock, rails, snipe) and waterfowl (e.g., ducks, geese, swans).
HOW DO I OBTAIN A PERMIT?
A. Application: A permit application and non-refundable application fee must be submitted to the Virginia
Department of Wildlife Resources, Permits Section, P.O. Box 3337, Henrico, VA 23228. (All checks made
payable to the "Treasurer of Virginia.")
B. Cost: $40 for one year or $80 for two years
C. Term of Permit: August 1 to July 31 (or part thereof if application is received after August 1). It is the
responsibility of the permittee to initiate renewals.
D. Federal Permits: In addition to the Virginia permit, a federal taxidermy permit is required to perform
taxidermy services, for someone other than yourself, on migratory birds or their parts, nests, or eggs.
Migratory birds include ducks, geese, swans, coots, gallinules, snipes, rails, woodcock, dove, crow, and
many other bird species. Permit applications and information are available from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife
Service, Migratory Bird Permit Office.
PERMIT CONDITIONS
Administrative
a. Permittees may only possess carcasses and parts of animals that were legally taken or otherwise legally
possessed after the animal’s death. This includes animals that were legally hunted or trapped and those
that were legally killed as nuisance animals. Deer and bear killed by a motor vehicle may also be
possessed if a check card was obtained from a conservation police officer or other law enforcement
officer. Legally possessed animals do NOT include road-kills of species other than deer and bear or
found animals that died of other causes (i.e. animals killed by pets).
b. The holder of a taxidermy permit (the permittee) is prohibited from practicing wildlife rehabilitation or
applying for a wildlife rehabilitation permit.
c. The current permit (or a copy thereof) must be exhibited in a prominent location and visible to customers
within the permittee’s place of business at any time that the location is open for business.
Records
a. Permittees are required to keep a complete record of all taxidermy transactions. Records must be
retained for at least three (3) years and must include, at minimum, the following:
i. Date of receipt;
ii. Species to be mounted or tanned;
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iii. Name, physical address, and telephone number of the person for whom the work is being performed;
iv. Name and hunting license number or VDWR Customer ID # or Virginia driving license number of
the person who killed the specimen (if different from above);
v. Check card number assigned by an approved check station or the confirmation number assigned by
the telephone or internet checking system, for those specimens required to be checked;
vi. County where specimen was taken, or, if taken out-of-state, the state in which it was taken;
vii. Date the completed work was returned to the customer.
b. Information in parts iv, v, and vi above are not required for previously mounted specimens brought in
for cleaning, repairs, or restoration.
c. The taxidermy log provided by the Department is a suggested model for record keeping, but is not
required to be used by the permittee.
Specimen Labeling
a. Upon receipt of any wildlife specimen, the permittee shall immediately affix a tag to the specimen
describing the species, the name and address of the customer, and the date the specimen was killed (date
of kill not necessary for previously mounted specimens brought in for cleaning, repairs, or restoration).
The tag shall remain affixed to the specimen, except when the specimen is actually in the process of
being worked on, until it is delivered to the customer. A tag with a unique ID that corresponds to the
appropriate record for the specimen may be used in lieu of the tag described above.
b. For species required to be checked (deer, bear, turkey, and bobcat), all pieces and parts of the specimen
retained for the mount shall also be identifiable with the check card or telephone/internet confirmation
number.
c. Permittees displaying completed works legally belonging to the permittee shall affix a tag to such items
indicating their ownership of the completed taxidermy mount.
Inspections
a. The permittee’s taxidermy records and place of business must be open to inspection by representatives
of the Department during the permittee’s normal business hours posted at the entrance of the business
or during other times the permittee is open for business. If no business hours are posted or the business
is closed for an extended period of time, the permittee is subject to inspection at any reasonable hour.
b. Carcasses and parts of animals that are not associated with the taxidermy business, but are comingled
with items associated with the business, must be labelled in the same manner as if they belonged to a
customer. For example, pelts and carcasses purchased as a permitted Fur Dealer, or animals that are the
personal property of the permittee, should be stored in a separate location or they must be labelled in
the same manner as if they were received to be mounted by a taxidermy customer.
Deer, Elk, Moose, and Caribou (hereafter collectively referred to as “cervids”)
a. Permittees are prohibited from allowing live wildlife to come into contact with any cervid taxidermy
materials or cervid waste generated from the taxidermy process. Permittees should ensure that
taxidermy waste is secured from scavengers and vectors, and all solid waste must be properly disposed
at a permitted solid waste management facility.
b. Permittees are prohibited from feeding out any waste generated from the taxidermy process to domestic
animals.
c. Permittees are prohibited from possessing whole carcasses and any parts containing brain or spinal
cord tissue from any member of the Cervid family originating from anywhere outside of Virginia. The
following cervid parts may be legally imported into Virginia and possessed by any permittee:
i. Boned-out meat;
ii. Quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or skull attached;
iii. Hides or capes with no skull attached;
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iv. Clean (no meat or tissue attached) skull plates with or without antlers attached;
v. Antlers (with no meat or tissue attached);
vi. Upper canine teeth (buglers, whistlers, or ivories);
vii. Finished taxidermy products.
A legible label is required to be affixed to packages or containers containing legally imported carcass
parts and must include the following information: species of animal, state or province from where the
animal originated, name and address of the customer, name and address of the person who killed the
animal, and the date the animal was killed.
d. Permittees located outside a Disease Management Area (DMA) are prohibited from possessing whole
cervid (deer) carcasses and parts containing brain or spinal cord tissue from any cervid originating
from within a DMA. See the list above for legal parts collected from cervids originating in a DMA
that may be possessed by any permittee, regardless of location. The list of counties included in a DMA
can be found at https://www.dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/diseases/cwd/cwd-information-for-
taxidermists-and-processors/.
e. Permittees located in a DMA may not possess whole cervid carcasses or parts containing brain or
spinal cord tissue from any cervid originating from a different DMA unless explicitly allowed by the
Department. Carcass transport rules are updated annually and may be found at
https://www.dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/diseases/cwd/cwd-information-for-taxidermists-and-
processors/.
f. Permittees who receive cervid parts that have been illegally imported into Virginia or illegally
exported out of a DMA are requested to accept the carcass parts and do the following:
i. Double-bag the head and/or any other parts delivered by the hunter and place them in a freezer
or refrigerator.
ii. Call the nearest VDWR regional office and inform them that you possess illegal carcass parts.
Office locations and phone numbers are listed on the VDWR website and in the VDWR game
law digest. A Department representative will contact you to obtain the hunter’s contact
information and to make arrangements for disposal.
iii. Thoroughly wash or scrub any equipment, tools, or surfaces that may have come into contact
with the illegal carcass parts by scrubbing with a detergent, such as dish soap, and then soaking
in a 40% bleach solution for at least ten (10) minutes.
iv. Make sure the hunter’s contact information and state/province of origin are affixed to the bag.
Sale of Unclaimed Mounts
a. Permittees may sell unclaimed mounts or processed hides, except for migratory waterfowl, migratory
birds and state or federally listed threatened or endangered species. The permittee may not sell the
mount for an amount to exceed the remainder of the amount of the original invoice plus seasonable
administrative and storage costs.
b. Mounts are considered unclaimed if left more than thirty (30) days beyond the date specified in a
contract. This contract must inform the owner of the possibility of such a sale in the event of failure
of the owner to reclaim the mount.
c. After the thirty (30) day period, a notice by registered or certified mail with a return receipt requested
must be mailed to the owner of record, instructing the owner that failure to reclaim the mount within
fifteen (15) days of the notice may result in the sale of the unclaimed mount or hide. The notice shall
include the species and date the animal was received, address of the taxidermy facility where it is
being held, and shall inform the owner of his or her rights to claim the mount within fifteen (15) days
of the notice, after payment of the specified costs.
d. Within seven (7) days of the sale of any unclaimed mount the permittee shall notify the Department,
in writing, of the name, telephone number, and address of the purchaser, invoice price, species sold,
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the name of the permittee that performed the work, and the previous owner’s name, telephone number,
and address. Upon receipt of such paperwork for a bear mount or hide, a Conservation Police Officer
will review the paperwork and provide the purchaser a form to remain with the mount.
Compliance/Violation/Revocation
a. Applicable laws and regulations
§ 29.1-415. Taxidermy; sale of specimens.
§ 29.1-553. Selling or offering for sale; penalty.
4 VAC 15-30-7. Continuation of permitted activity.
4 VAC 15-40-270. Sale of unclaimed taxidermy specimens by licensed taxidermists.
4 VAC 15-40-275. Sale of furbearer, coyote, and nutria pelts, carcasses, and parts.
4 VAC 15-40-276. Sale of small game animals and parts.
4 VAC 15-90-280. Sale of cervid parts and cervid mounts.
4 VAC 15-90-293. Unauthorized cervid parts, excretions, and carcass importation, movement,
possession, and use.
4 VAC 15-220-20. Taking of spotted skunks.
4 VAC 15-290-70. Stuffing or mounting birds and animals; Possession of game legally taken.
4 VAC 15-290-80. Stuffing or mounting birds and animals - records; inspections.
4 VAC 15-290-130. Duty to comply with permit conditions.
b. Permittees are required to comply with all terms and conditions of this permit. The Department may
deny, suspend, or revoke a permit for any of the following reasons:
i. Non-compliance with any requirement or condition of the issued permit
ii. Supplying false or incomplete information on applications forms or subsequent reports
submitted in compliance with permit terms and conditions
iii. Failure to keep or submit properly completed records or reports required by permit
conditions
iv. Conviction of any criminal act or violation of state or federal wildlife laws or regulations
related to the permitted activity.
c. Denial, suspension, or revocation of a permit will remain in effect until the permittee documents
compliance with terms and conditions, completes any required remediation or mitigation actions, or
serves any applicable suspension/revocation term. Any person whose permit is denied, suspended, or
revoked may appeal the decision in writing to the Executive Director, Virginia Department of
Wildlife Resources, P. O. Box 3337 Henrico, VA 23228.
ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE
Sale of Furbearer, Coyote, and Nutria Pelts, Carcasses, and Parts
a. Permittees must also possess a Fur Dealer Permit to buy, sell, barter, traffic or trade in, bargain for,
or solicit for purchase raw pelts or unskinned carcasses of fur-bearing animals (beaver, bobcat,
fisher, fox, mink, muskrat, opossum, otter, raccoon, skunk, and weasel), coyotes, and nutria. A raw
pelt is defined as any pelt with its hair or fur intact that has not been tanned, cured, chemically,
preserved, or converted to any usable form beyond initial cleaning, stretching, and drying. Salt-cured
and sun-cured pelts are considered raw pelts.
b. Exceptions to Part a:
i. Permittees who are hunters or trappers or are engaged in the business of fur farming may sell
raw pelts and unskinned carcasses of legally taken furbearers, coyotes, and nutria at any time
to authorized buyers.
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ii. Permittees may purchase legally taken raw pelts or unskinned carcasses of furbearers,
coyotes, and nutria at any time if the pelts are to be tanned or used in taxidermy mounts for
the permittee’s personal use and not for resale, trade, or other commercial purposes.
iii. Permittees may buy or sell, at any time, pelts not defined as being raw, skinned carcasses,
taxidermy mounts, or any other parts of furbearers, coyotes, and nutria.
iv. Pelts (raw or tanned) and taxidermy mounts of spotted skunks may not be sold.
Sale of Small Game Parts and Mounts
a. Permittees may purchase or sell skins, pelts, skulls, bones, teeth, claws, feet, tails, hair, feathers,
taxidermy mounts, and other nonmeat parts of legally taken and possessed rabbits, squirrels,
bobwhite quail, ruffed grouse, and pheasants.
Sale of Cervid Parts and Cervid Mounts
a. Provided than no extraneous muscle tissue is attached, it is lawful for permittees to purchase or sell
the hair, hide, tail, sinew, skull, antlers, bones, and feet of a legally possessed cervid carcass or cervid
carcass part, any products made from these cervid parts, and cervid mounts.
Sale of Fish and Wildlife Mounts by Virginia Residents
a. Any Virginia resident can sell a wildlife or fish mount that was legally taken and have undergone the
taxidermy process legally.
SUPPLEMENTAL SOURCES
Chronic Wasting Disease in Virginia https://www.dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/diseases/cwd/
Virginia Taxidermy Q&A
https://www.dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/diseases/cwd/cwd-information-for-taxidermists-and-processors/
Virginia Processors and Taxidermists: Best Management Practices for Chronic Wasting Disease
https://www.dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/diseases/cwd/cwd-information-for-taxidermists-and-processors/
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Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources
Taxidermy Permit Log
(ver. 082620)
Specimen Tag
Number:
Animal
Species:
Date work
Received:
County
Of Kill:
State or Country of Origin
(if not Virginia):
YES:
NO:
Name of person
requesting work:
Physical Address:
City:
State:
Zip code:
Mailing Address: (if different
from physical address):
City:
State:
Zip Code:
Telephone
Number:
Email Address
(optional):
Name of person who killed the animal
(if different than above):
DGIF Customer or Driver’s
License Number:
Check Card or
Confirmation #:
Date Specimen
Killed:
Specimen Mounting Information / Customer Instructions
Type of
Mount:
Nose to Eye
Measurement:
Neck
Measurement:
Total
Length:
Circumference:
Gill to
Tail:
Customer Instructions:
Mount Total Price:
Deposit $:
Deposit Date:
Disposal of Specimen (Check box that applies)
Retained by Taxidermy
Permittee
Returned to Customer on
(date):
Sold or Transferred to in accordance with
Regulation 4VAC15-40-270 on (date):
TO: Name:
Address:
Invoice Price $: