Changes go into effect July 1 for license fees and Sept. 1 for applications and permits
Hunting in Utah just got a bit more expensive if you’re a nonresident. Last week, Gov. Spencer Cox signed several new laws, including one that raises the rates for nonresident hunters and anglers. The new law, SB8: State Agency Fees and Internal Service Fund Rate Authorization and Appropriations, allows the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) the ability to “increase nonresident license fees up to double the previous cost in order to purchase large blocks of land for hunting and fishing” though it doesn’t mandate that the fees automatically increase by that much, according to a news release.
All resident fees will remain the same.
“We’re reviewing the intended goals of the legislation and are evaluating each fee based on the relevant market values of neighboring states and the opportunities we offer,” said UDWR Director Riley Peck. “This legislation is intended to increase revenue to allow us to purchase public land for the specific use of protecting wintering wildlife populations. The legislature also allocated $50M to the DWR, specifically for the purchase of large land parcels to secure hunting and fishing on these properties into the future.”
"These permit fee changes will not go through the DWR's typical public process of review — involving the Regional Advisory Councils and Utah Wildlife Board — since they have already received legislative approval."
License fees will go into effect on July 1, 2025 while application fees and hunting permits will go into effect on Sept. 1, 2025.
Here’s the breakdown:
Nonresident hunting, fishing and combination license fees will not double, but will see a moderate adjustment. Nonresident 365-day hunting licenses will increase from $34 to $44 for youth and from $120 to $144 for adults. Nonresident combination licenses will increase from $38 to $58 for youth and from $150 to $190 for adults.
Hunt drawing application fees for nonresident hunters will also not be doubled. Hunt drawing application fees for nonresident hunters will be $21 per application, a $5 increase, beginning on Sept. 1, 2025. There will be no changes to the fees for any applications, licenses and permits offered through the current 2025 big game application period.
Nonresident hunting permit fees will be right-sized to value, based on the species and permit type. For example, limited-entry permit fees will be adjusted more than general-season permit fees, and once-in-a-lifetime species permit fees will generally see a higher increase, proportionally, than other permits. General season nonresident buck deer permits will increase from $418 to $599, and limited entry permits will increase from $670 to $1,070. Nonresident bull elk permits for general season hunts will increase from $613 to $849, and limited entry permits will increase from $1,050 to $1,950.
