Sale or Purchase of Fur-bearing Animals or Pelts

• Fur-bearing animals and their pelts can only be sold by:
  
  1. licensed trappers;
  2. wholesale fur dealers;
  3. fur-bearing animal propagators.
• Fur-bearing animals and their pelts can only be purchased for resale by wholesale fur dealers.
• Fur-bearing animals and their pelts may be purchased by consumers only for personal use (no resale).
• Trappers may sell non-living fur-bearing animals or their pelts taken during commercial harvest at any time during the year.
• Live fur-bearing animals may be sold only by a licensed fur-bearing animal propagator, and only sold to persons authorized by permit issued by the department or to another licensed fur-bearing animal propagator.
• A person who sells fur-bearing animals prepared for immediate consumption may purchase the carcass of a fur-bearing animal only from a wholesale fur dealer.
• A wholesale fur dealer may purchase the carcass or pelt of a fur-bearing animal at any time, provided it was lawfully taken during the commercial season.
• Fur-bearing animals offered for sale may only be taken during the commercial season.
• Finished products may be sold by anyone.
• No person may purchase, possess after purchase or transport for commercial purposes a pelt or carcass taken in this state unless the person has acquired and possesses a wholesale fur dealer's license.
• A trapper may sell the carcass or pelt of a fur-bearing animal only to a wholesale fur dealer or a purchaser outside Texas. Trappers selling fur-bearing animals to purchasers outside Texas must complete and submit an annual report accounting for all sales out of state.

Importation, Exportation and Release of Fur-bearing Animals or Their Pelts

Importation of fur-bearing animals or their pelts into Texas from another state or country requires proof of legal take, purchase or possession. Importation from another country is prohibited without first completing the import documentation required by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Customs Service. No person may import live fur-bearing animals taken from the wild into Texas from another state or country without a permit. An importation permit will only be issued to licensed fur propagators. Written authorization shall be obtained from the department prior to sale or export of live fur-bearing animals to persons outside of Texas. Applicants shall provide written verification that recipients of live fur-bearing animal being imported or exported. Each shipment must be accompanied by a health certificate signed by a veterinarian accredited in the state of origin and if the imported animals are foxes, raccoons or skunks, a signed letter of authorization issued by the Texas Department of Health. Imported live fur-bearing animals and live fur-bearing animals previously held in captivity may not be released into the wild in this state.