§253. Shipping raw furs, alligators, alligator skins, and alligator parts out of state; tags

            A. No resident or nonresident fur buyer shall ship furs, alligators, or alligator skins out of state.

            B. No resident fur dealer, trapper, alligator hunter, alligator parts dealer, alligator farmer, or nonresident fur dealer or nonresident alligator hunter shall ship or take raw furs, alligators, alligator skins, or alligator parts out of state without first complying with the provisions of this Section and rules and regulations of the commission.

            C.(1) Every resident fur dealer, trapper, alligator hunter, alligator farmer, nonresident fur dealer, or nonresident alligator hunter before shipping raw furs, alligators, or alligator skins out of the state shall secure from the department, or duly authorized representative thereof, a tag to be attached to the shipment. The tag shall be of a distinctive color, bear a serial number and entry headings for information as to the character of the shipment and the name and address of the specific licensed fur dealer making the shipment, and the specific name and address of the receiver or purchaser of the shipment, including the location to which the skins are actually being shipped. The tag shall be filled out at the time of shipment, and be provided with a detachable stub bearing the same serial number and entry headings as appear on the body of the tag. The stub shall be filled out with duplicate information appearing on the body of the tag and returned to the department at the time of shipment.

            (2)(a) Every resident fur dealer, alligator hunter, alligator farmer, taxidermist, nonresident fur dealer, or nonresident alligator hunter, before shipping alligators or raw alligator skins out of state, or before tanning or using for taxidermy of raw alligator skins within the state, shall pay to the department an alligator shipping label fee for each alligator so shipped and shall pay an alligator hide tag fee for each raw alligator skin to be so shipped, used for taxidermy, or tanned. The alligator shipping label fee and the alligator hide tag fee shall be collected by the department from the fur dealer, taxidermist, alligator hunter, alligator farmer, nonresident fur dealer, or nonresident alligator hunter who is shipping alligators or raw alligator skins, or who intends to tan, or use for taxidermy, the raw alligator skins. The department shall collect such fees at the time of shipment, using for taxidermy, or tanning, and no alligator shipping label or out-of-state shipping tag shall be issued by the department for a shipment before payment of the appropriate fee is received by the department. The alligator shipping label fee for each alligator to be shipped and the alligator hide tag fee for each raw alligator skin to be shipped, used for taxidermy, or tanned shall be no more than four dollars per alligator or raw alligator skin; however, the alligator shipping label fee and the alligator hide tag fee shall each be reduced in any fiscal year by rule or regulation of the commission in an equal amount equivalent to any amount of additional revenues received into the Louisiana Alligator Resource Account from the state general fund or sources other than alligator-related fees established pursuant to this Title. Revenues received by the state pursuant to this Paragraph shall be distributed as provided in R.S. 56:266 and 279.

            (b) Alligator hide tags shall be issued to licensed alligator hunters and licensed alligator farmers without charge and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the commission.

            D. Every resident alligator hunter, alligator farmer, or alligator parts dealer before shipping alligator parts out of state shall, in addition to satisfying regulations of the U.S. Department of Interior and the Louisiana Department of Health, affix to the shipment a label showing the following: (1) LDWF license number of the alligator parts dealer, alligator hunter or alligator farmer; (2) identify alligator parts as meat, head, feet, teeth or other; (3) provide name and address of shipper.

            E. No fur, alligator, alligator skins, alligator eggs, or alligator parts intended for shipment out of state shall be accepted by any post office, express company, agent, or agent of any common carrier nor any agent thereof, unless there is attached to the shipment to each consignee one of the tags specified in Subsection C above or the labels specified in Subsection D above.

            F. Violation of any of the provisions of this Section constitutes a class three violation.

            Acts 1970, No. 550, §1. Amended by Acts 1981, No. 736, §1; Acts 1981, No. 837, §3; Acts 1981, No. 838, §1; Acts 1982, No. 730, §3; Acts 1991, No. 1041, §1, eff. July 26, 1991; Acts 1992, No. 499, §§1, 2, eff. June 22, 1992; Acts 1992, No. 528, §§1, 2, eff. June 29, 1992; Acts 1993, No. 294, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1993; Acts 2012, No. 267, §2; Acts 2018, No. 612, §18; Acts 2019, No. 404, §1, eff. July 1, 2020; Acts 2021, No. 356, §2, eff. Nov. 15, 2021.