How to Fill Out the Maryland DNR Permission to Hunt Form

Maryland’s Permission to Hunt and/or Trap form is a one-page PDF that documents a landowner’s written authorization for you to hunt on their private property, which state law requires before you set foot on the land. Download it from the Maryland eRegulations hunting guide, have the landowner complete and sign the top section, fill in and sign the hunter section yourself, and keep the completed form with you whenever you are on the property.¹

Where to Download the Form

The official form is published as a downloadable PDF through the Maryland eRegulations hunting guide.¹ It also appears in the printed Maryland Guide to Hunting and Trapping, distributed at retailers that sell hunting licenses. Either version is the same document.

Go directly to the eRegulations PDF. The DNR’s main Forms and Applications page does not list this form separately, so searching the DNR site is a dead end. Print as many copies as you need, since you will want a separate form for each property or landowner.

Completing the Landowner Section

The top of the form is for the landowner, their agent, or their lessee. It asks for three things:¹

The property location. Make it specific enough that a Natural Resources Police officer can identify the parcel. A street address, tax map reference, or clear geographic description all work.
The dates or season when permission is granted. Vague dates invite problems if you are checked outside the intended window, so write the actual range.
The landowner’s signature authorizing access.

If the person granting access is not the owner but a tenant or authorized agent, they can still sign; the statute recognizes authorization from a landowner, their agent, or their lessee.²

Completing the Hunter Section

Below the authorization, you acknowledge that you will obey all laws, observe safety precautions and property boundaries, take precautions against fire, and assume all responsibility and liability for your person and property while on the land.¹ Then fill in:

Your signature
Your street address, city, state, and ZIP code
Your DNR ID number, which is printed on your hunting license
The date

The liability acknowledgment mirrors the statute. Under § 10-411(b), any hunter on private property is already liable for damage they cause to that property, whether or not they sign a form.² Signing just puts the obligation in front of you in writing.

Carrying the Form in the Field

Keep the completed form with you whenever you are on the property. Maryland requires hunters to carry either a printed paper copy or an electronic copy of their hunting license in the field, and the practical standard for the permission form is the same: paper in your pack or saved on your phone.³ An officer who asks for your license will almost certainly ask for your landowner permission next.

Carry a paper copy as a backup even if you keep a digital one. Cell service in rural Maryland is not always reliable, and a dead battery is not a legal defense. If you cannot produce the document, expect to be asked to leave the property immediately.

Why Written Permission Is Required

Maryland Natural Resources § 10-411(a) prohibits anyone from hunting on land owned by another person without written permission from the landowner, their agent, or their lessee.² This applies whether or not the land is posted with signs or enclosed by fences. The requirement covers all counties.⁴

The statute specifically addresses penalties in Harford County, where hunting on private land without permission is a misdemeanor carrying a fine between $25 and $250.² In other counties, violations may be prosecuted under general trespass or natural resources enforcement provisions.

Writing Your Own Permission Instead

You do not have to use the official form. A landowner can draft a custom letter or agreement, and it will satisfy the written-permission requirement as long as it documents the authorization. To hold up during a field check, your document should include everything the official form collects:

A clear statement that the landowner grants permission to hunt or trap
The property location
The dates or season covered
The landowner’s signature
The hunter’s signature, address, and DNR ID number

The official template is the safer choice because officers recognize the format immediately. A handwritten note missing dates, signatures, or addresses will create more questions than it answers.

When a Lease Is the Right Document Instead

The DNR permission form is built for no-fee arrangements, such as a neighbor granting access for deer season or a family friend hunting a woodlot. Once money changes hands for hunting access, the arrangement looks more like a commercial lease. Landowners charging for access should use a formal hunting lease agreement with liability and indemnity provisions rather than the simple permission form, and should check with their insurance agent about coverage, since most homeowner’s policies do not cover paying hunters on the property.

1
eRegulations. Hunt Applications – Permission to Hunt and/or Trap
2
Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Natural Resources Code Section 10-411 – Hunting on Private Lands
3
eRegulations. Maryland Hunting Licenses
4
eRegulations. Maryland Hunting Regulations – Hunting on Private Property