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Buyer, Dealer, Retailer, Processor, and Transporter Licenses and Permits

 

Seafood, Bait, Reptile, and Amphibian Dealers, Retailers, and Processors

To purchase, resell, or process seafood products, bait, reptiles, or amphibians in Louisiana, you must have one of the following licenses and/or permits issued by LDWF, unless otherwise noted.

License and Permit Types and Fees

If you: You must have a/an: Fees and notes:
Buy, acquire, or handle seafood products or bait from licensed commercial fishermen or wholesale/retail seafood dealers from in or out of the state for sale or resale, including sale to consumers for personal or household use Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer Business License OR Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer Vehicle License if selling from a vehicle $550 resident, $2,200 nonresident. You may buy from licensed commercial fishermen, licensed wholesale/retail dealers in Louisiana and from out of state, or sell directly to consumers for personal or household use. When buying seafood products for which a permit is required (mullet, reef fish, spotted seatrout, shark, tuna, etc.), you may only buy from commercial fishermen who have the required permit. There are no restrictions on whom you may sell to. You are also licensed to transport fish. Restaurants and grocers are exempt from these license requirements if they only sell fully prepared seafood products for immediate consumption.
Are a licensed wholesale/retail seafood dealer exporting (or attempting to export) any crabs or crabmeat outside of Louisiana Wholesale Out-of-State Crab Shipping License $240 for residents and nonresidents. This license includes retailers.
Own or operate a soft shell crab shedding facility Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer License $550 resident, $2,200 nonresident. On or before the 10th of every month, you must report to LDWF how much soft shell crab you produce. See Trip Tickets or call 225.765.2399 for more details. 
Are a restaurant or grocer selling raw oysters Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer License $550 resident, $2,200 nonresident
Buy oysters in Louisiana from commercial fishermen for sale or resale LDH Shellstock Dealer or Shucker-Packer Permit (plus a Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer License)

LDH permit fees range from $100 to $500, depending on gross annual sales. Contact an LDH office or inspector to obtain a permit:

Oyster dealers must have and implement a written Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan.
Shuck oysters to sell to another dealer for resale LDH Shucker-Packer Permit (plus a Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer License)
Buy oysters from harvesters and ship or reship them LDH Shellstock Shipper or Reshipper Permit (plus a Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer License)
Buy oysters only from wholesale/retail dealers LDH Distribution and Reshipping Permit (plus a Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer License)
Are a seafood retailer shucking oysters for sale to the public LDH Retail Permit (plus a Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer License)
Are a dealer receiving reef fish, mackerel, or cobia harvested from federal waters NOAA Fisheries Gulf and South Atlantic Dealer Permit You must also have a Gulf IFQ Dealer Endorsement if you’re receiving red snapper, groupers, or tilefish (unless the commercial fisherman has one). For details, contact NOAA Fisheries Southeast Regional Office at 877.376.4877.
Are a dealer receiving, buying, trading, or bartering Atlantic swordfish NOAA Fisheries Atlantic Swordfish Dealer Permit
Are a dealer receiving Atlantic shark species NOAA Fisheries Atlantic Shark Dealer Permit
Are a commercial fisherman with an Gulf IFQ allocation selling red snapper, groupers, or tilefish to a dealer without a Gulf IFQ Dealer Endorsement NOAA Fisheries Gulf IFQ Dealer Endorsement
Buy, acquire, or handle for resale or sell any native reptiles or amphibians, including those reared in captivity Reptile and Amphibian Wholesale/Retail Dealer License $220 resident, $880 nonresident. Nonresidents may instead purchase a Three-Day Reptile and Amphibian Wholesale/Retail Dealer’s License ($150; valid for three consecutive days). Licensed wholesale/retail seafood dealers are exempt from this license requirement.
Buy unprocessed alligator parts (other than hides), manufacture nonedible alligator parts into a finished product, or purchase unprocessed alligator meat or process alligator meat for wholesale or retail sale Alligator Parts Dealer $105; expires June 30
Buy finished products made from alligator parts (other than hides) for retail sale Alligator Parts Retailer $10; expires June 30

 

Seafood, Bait, Reptile, and Amphibian Transporters

To operate any commercial transport vehicle and load, unload, or transport seafood, bait, reptiles, or amphibians, you must have one of the following LDWF-issued licenses. Common carriers are exempt from these license requirements. In addition, transport license requirements do not apply to processed fish or fish products (drying to a point of dehydration, canning, salting, breading, and cooking for immediate consumption).

License Types and Fees

If you: You must have a/an: Fees and notes:
Are a wholesale/retail seafood dealer with a Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer Business License delivering seafood Seafood Transport License $83 per vehicle (residents and nonresidents); can only be purchased by a licensed Louisiana commercial fisherman or wholesale/retail seafood dealer; issued in the purchaser’s name. If you’re transporting fish under a transport license, you may not buy or sell fish (unless working under a transport license purchased in connection with a wholesale/retail seafood dealer license and buying fish for and transporting such fish to the dealer to whom the license was issued). A dealer may purchase any number of transport licenses; transport licenses are freely transferable between vehicles, but the licensee remains responsible for all activities conducted under that license.
Are a wholesale/retail seafood dealer with a Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer Vehicle License delivering seafood No additional transport license needed
Are transporting a commercial fisherman’s catch to a wholesale/retail dealer for sale Seafood Transport License
Ship seafood out of state Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer License OR Seafood Transport License purchased with the dealer license
  • Dealer License: $550 resident; $2,200 nonresident
  • Seafood Transport License: $83 for residents and non-residents
  • You must also have a Wholesale Out-of-State Crab Shipping License to ship crabs out of state.
Operate commercial transport vehicles and load, unload, or transport reptiles or amphibians Reptile and Amphibian Collector License, Reptile and Amphibian Wholesale/Retail Dealer License, OR Reptile and Amphibian Transport License OR Wholesale/Retail Seafood Dealer License along with a Seafood Transport License
  • Collector License: $55 resident/$10 resident under age 18, $420 nonresident
  • Reptile and Amphibian Wholesale/Retail Dealer License: $220 resident, $880 nonresident.
  • Nonresidents may instead purchase a Three-Day Reptile and Amphibian Wholesale/Retail Dealer License ($150; valid for three consecutive days).
  • Reptile and Amphibian Transport License: $65/vehicle resident, $250/vehicle nonresident; transferable between vehicles. Only licensed reptile and amphibian collectors or wholesale/retail dealers may purchase. Transport license holders may not buy/sell reptiles or amphibians unless buying on behalf of the dealer to whom the transport license was issued and transporting the purchase back to them.
Import live viable oysters, regardless of life stage and ploidy, and intend to place those oysters or their progeny, regardless if they are contained or released, in Louisiana waters Oyster Importation Permit
  • No fee.
  • Only oysters from the northern Gulf of Mexico will be considered for permitting.
  • Applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • A copy of the permit, importation protocol, and Oyster Health Certificate must remain with the oysters during transport events into Louisiana.
  • The permittee must notify LDWF at least 48 hours in advance of each importation event..

 

Fur Buyers and Dealers

You must have a current Fur Buyer License to buy whole nongame quadrupeds* for pelting; carcasses of furbearing* animals; or raw furs or skins from fur trappers, alligator hunters, alligator farmers, fur buyers or fur dealers and sell them within the state. You must have your license in your possession while conducting business. Fur Buyer Licenses expire June 30.

You must have a current Fur Dealer License to buy whole nongame quadrupeds* for pelting; carcasses of furbearing* animals; or raw furs or skins from fur trappers, alligator hunters, alligator farmers, fur buyers or fur dealers and ship or export these furs or skins from the state. You must have your license in your possession while conducting business. Fur Dealer Licenses expire June 30. 

*Furbearers are beaver, bobcat, coyote, gray fox, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, river otter, red fox, raccoon and skunk. Nongame quadrupeds are alligators, beavers, bobcats, coyotes, gray foxes, minks, muskrats, nutrias, opossums, otters, raccoons, red foxes, skunks, and other wild quadrupeds valuable for their furs or skins

License Types and Fees

License Type Resident Fee Nonresident Fee
Fur Buyer $55 $215
Fur Dealer $400 $800