Brief Summary of Approved Changes to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Permits June 1, 2026

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has approved new rules to the wildlife rehabilitation program that will go into effect September 1, 2027. These new rules would ensure new rehabilitators are properly trained, tested, have access to mentors, and create a supervisory structure tied to experience.

Training, accountability, and proper care of wildlife are critical to protect injured and orphaned wildlife. Since it is illegal to rehabilitate wildlife without a permit, rehabilitation skills are often taught through mentorship opportunities. Rehabilitation of injured and orphaned wildlife requires technical knowledge and skills that are not easily learned without experienced mentors and hands-on training. Current regulations do not reflect that line of thinking and do not facilitate mentorship, which is critical to passing along knowledge to new rehabilitators.

The updated rule package creates a comprehensive set of changes to ensure that responsibility for wildlife is clear throughout the permit supervisory structure, that rehabilitators have a relationship with a veterinarian, and that the permittee is ultimately responsible for all actions and reporting conducted under their permit.

As rehabilitators gain more experience, the proposal would allow them to supervise more people and more remote (satellite) facilities. It would also require sub-permittees to be at least 18 years old and pass new, basic 10- to 15-question exam demonstrating an understanding of the legal requirements of rehabilitating wildlife. Regardless of the level of experience, all rehabilitators would be able to supervise unlimited volunteers of any age. Volunteers are people that sign a daily log and are physically supervised by a rehabilitator or a subpermittee.

New applicants that apply after September 2027 will need to serve an apprenticeship under an experienced mentor and to take a comprehensive exam. Current rehabilitators (primary permittees) would be exempt from the mentorship and revised exam requirements unless their permit lapses..

TPWD will issue four new types of permits scaled by experience and operational size:

• Type A rehabilitators (those with any years of experience as a primary permittee)
• Type B rehabilitators (those with at least 2 years of experience as a primary permittee)
• Type C rehabilitators (5 or more years of experience as a primary permittee)
• Type D rehabilitators (rehabilitators running large rehab centers that treat more than 3,000 animals each year and are full or part-time employees)

Effective September 1, 2027, the rules move the reporting requirement from a satellite subpermittee to the supervising rehabilitator and eases the inspection requirement to apply only when animals are present. Effective September 1, 2027, reporting moves from quarterly to annual, but quarterly reports must continue to be submitted through August 2027. The tables below outline the changes to the proposal since it was presented in March 2026. The following table lists the major changes approved by the Commission in May 2026

Texas Wildlife Rehabilitation Permits Rules: Summary of Major Changes effective September 1, 2027

Regulation Topic	What It Is Now	Effective Sept 1, 2027
Permit Types	One permit type for everyone	Four levels based on experience as a primary permittee: Type A (0+ years); Type B (2+ yrs); Type C (5+ yrs); Type D (that take at least 3,000 animals per year and employs the permittee on a full or part time basis) (5+ yrs or licensed veterinarian w/ 2+ yrs)
Subpermittees Allowed	Not addressed	Type A: 2 max · Type B: 5 max · Type C: 15 max · Type D: unlimited
Satellite Facilities	Not addressed	Type A: none · Type B: up to 1 · Type C: up to 15 · Type D: unlimited
Permittee inspection of satellites	Every 120 day visits, year round	Written inspection required within previous 120 days when animals are present
Applying For a Rehab Permit - Training and Exam	Training course + 100% score	600 hours apprenticeship as a subpermittee that spans 2 or more calendar years; 20 hrs of coursework from an approved list + 80% exam score.
Applying for a Permit - Letter of Recommendation	Letter of recommendation stating personal relationship	Letter of recommendation from a rehabilitator attesting to clinical knowledge
Subpermittee Requirements	No age or exam requirement	Must be 18+ and pass a short sub permittee exam with 100% score
Keeping Non-Releasable Animals	3 years experience required	5 years experience required; must house at main facility
Public contact with non-releasables	No public contact except during educational events	No public contact allowed; rehab animals must be restrained during educational events (except for birds during free-flight demonstrations)
Educational Programming	Subs can conduct educational programs	Subs on a Type A,B, or C permit can conduct educational programs if the supervisory permittee is present
How Long You Can Rehab an Animal	No limit	365 days max unless vet and TPWD approve extension
Annual Training for Renewal	Completion of one approved training course	Completion of 8 hours annually from approved list
Vet Relationship	No requirement	Letter from vet agreeing to provide consultation services
Reporting	Quarterly reports submitted on April 15th, July 15th, Oct. 15th, and Jan. 15th	One annual report (due January 15) for all rehabilitators. Quarterly reports still required through August 2027
Disease Found	No notification requirement	Must notify department within 24 hours of diseases listed in 4 TAC §45.2(a)
Notifying Animal Control	No notification required	Must notify local animal control in writing of facility location upon location approval by TPWD
Facility Standards	Apartments and townhomes not addressed	Cannot register new facilities in apartments, duplexes, or townhomes (shared residential buildings)
Permittee as Subpermittee	No person can be a subpermittee for more than 1 person.	No person can be a subpermittee for more than 1 person. You can't hold your own permit and be a subpermittee for someone else.
Transition		Current permittees exempt from testing and experience requirements; subs can count their experience as a sub towards a future permit; current facilities grandfathered; current authorizations remain in place until permit naturally expires.