Amends existing law to provide for shooting of coyotes, wolves, and red foxes from aircraft.

LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO Sixty-eighth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2026 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE BILL NO. 630 BY AGRICULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE AN ACT1 RELATING TO AIRBORNE CONTROL OF PREDATORY ANIMALS; AMENDING SECTION2 22-102A, IDAHO CODE, TO REVISE PROVISIONS REGARDING AIRCRAFT USE IN3 CONTROLLING UNPROTECTED OR PREDATORY ANIMALS AND TO MAKE TECHNICAL4 CORRECTIONS; PROVIDING THAT CERTAIN ADMINISTRATIVE RULES CONTAINED IN5 IDAPA 02.01.03 SHALL BE NULL, VOID, AND OF NO FORCE AND EFFECT; PROVID-6 ING SEVERABILITY; AND DECLARING AN EMERGENCY AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE7 DATE.8

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:9

SECTION 1. That Section 22-102A, Idaho Code, be, and the same is hereby10 amended to read as follows:11 22-102A. AIRCRAFT USE IN CONTROLLING UNPROTECTED OR PREDATORY ANI-12 MALS. (1) The director of the department of agriculture is hereby designated13 as the authorized agent of this state to aid in the administration or protec-14 tion of land, water, wildlife, livestock, domesticated animals, human life,15 or crops for the purposes of issuing permits to persons to shoot or attempt16 to shoot, capture, harass, or kill unprotected or predatory animals, as des-17 ignated by the director, while such person is airborne in an aircraft, under18 authority vested in such agency by public laws P.L. 92-159 and 92-502.19 (2) The director shall issue such permits to applicants at no charge and20 shall require each permittee to submit a report each calendar quarter. The21 director also shall file with the United States secretary of the interior an22 annual report as prescribed in public laws P.L. 92-159 and 92-502.23 (3)(a) As used in this section, "predatory animals" means coyotes,24 wolves, and red foxes.25 (b) Red foxes may be controlled in areas where the Idaho department of26 fish and game has established a year-round hunting season for red foxes27 and, in consultation with the department of fish and game, outside of28 the areas where a year-round hunting season has been established by the29 department where red foxes are causing predation problems.30 (4) The director shall provide permit applications to applicants upon31 request and at no charge. To obtain a permit, the applicant shall submit32 written permission from each owner of private land on whose property the ap-33 plicant plans to conduct airborne control operations with the name and con-34 tact information for the owner of the property from whom such permission was35 obtained. Every permittee shall be subject to the permit's terms and con-36 ditions and shall be required to submit a report each calendar quarter, as37 delineated by the permit. A permittee may not transfer an airborne control38 permit to another person.39 (5) In determining whether to grant or deny a permit application, the40 director may give due consideration to:41 (a) The threat to resources;42

2 (b) The type of control requested; and1 (c) The number of permits issued for the same type of animal in the same2 area.3 (6) An airborne control permit shall not be used by a person to:4 (a) Kill any type of animal different than the type of animal specified5 on the permit;6 (b) Engage in airborne control activities in a geographic area differ-7 ent from the area specified on the permit; or8 (c) Hunt for sport.9 (7) The director is authorized to promulgate such regulations rules,10 subject to legislative approval, in compliance with chapter 52, title 67,11 Idaho Code, as may be necessary for the effective administration of this12 subsection. Any violation of such regulations a permit or of any applicable13 state, federal, or local law, rule, or regulation in the use of such permit14 shall constitute a civil offense for which a civil penalty of not to exceed15 one thousand dollars ($1,000) may be imposed per incident of violation.16

SECTION 2. The rules contained in IDAPA 02.01.03, Department of Agri-17 culture, relating to the Airborne Control of Unprotected or Predatory Ani-18 mals, shall be null, void, and of no force and effect on and after July 1,19 2026.20

SECTION 3. SEVERABILITY. The provisions of this act are hereby declared21 to be severable and if any provision of this act or the application of such22 provision to any person or circumstance is declared invalid for any reason,23 such declaration shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of24 this act.25

SECTION 4. An emergency existing therefor, which emergency is hereby26 declared to exist, this act shall be in full force and effect on and after27 July 1, 2026.28