Ariz. Admin. Code § 12-4-118

Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 45, November 8, 2024

Section R12-4-118 - Hunt Permit-tag Surrender

A. The Commission authorizes the Department to implement a tag surrender program if the Director finds:

1. The Department has the administrative capacity to implement the program;

2. There is public interest in such a program; or

3. The tag surrender program is likely to meet the Department's revenue objectives.

B. The tag surrender program is limited to a person who has a valid and active membership in a Department membership program.

1. The Department may establish a membership program that offers a person various products and services.

2. The Department may establish different membership levels based on the type of products and services offered and set prices for each level.

a. The lowest membership level may include the option to surrender one hunt permit-tag during the membership period.

b. A higher membership level may include the option to surrender more than one hunt permit-tag during the membership period.

3. The Department may establish terms and conditions for the membership program in addition to the following:

a. Products and services to be included with each membership level.

b. Membership enrollment is available online only and requires a person to create a portal account.

c. Membership is not transferable.

d. No refund shall be made for the purchase of a membership, unless an internal processing error resulted in the collection of erroneous fees.

C. The tag surrender program is restricted to the surrender of an original, unused hunt permit-tag obtained through a computer draw.

1. A person must have a valid and active membership in the Department's membership program with at least one unredeemed tag surrender that was valid:

a. On the application deadline date for the computer draw in which the hunt permit-tag being surrendered was drawn, and

b. At the time of tag surrender.

2. A person who chooses to surrender an original, unused hunt permit-tag shall do so prior to the close of business the day before the hunt begins for which the tag is valid.

3. A person may surrender an unused hunt permit-tag for a specific species only once before any bonus points accrued for that species must be expended.

D. A person who wants to surrender an original, unused hunt permit-tag or an authorized nonprofit organization that wants to return a donated original, unused hunt permit-tag shall comply with all of the following conditions:

1. Submit a completed application form to any Department office. The application form is available at any Department office and on the Department's website. The applicant shall provide all of the following information on the application form:

a. The applicant's:

i. Name,

ii. Mailing address,

iii. Department identification number,

iv. Membership number,

b. Applicable hunt number,

c. Applicable hunt permit-tag number, and

d. Any other information required by the Department.

2. A person shall surrender the original, unused hunt permit-tag as required under subsection (C) in the manner described by the Department as indicated on the application form.

E. Upon receipt of an original, unused hunt permit-tag surrendered in compliance with this Section, the Department shall:

1. Restore the person's bonus points that were expended for the surrendered tag, and

2. Award the bonus point the person would have accrued had the person been unsuccessful in the computer draw for the surrendered tag.

3. Not refund any fees the person paid for the surrendered tag, as prohibited under A.R.S. § 17-332(E).

F. The Department may, at its sole discretion, re-issue or destroy the surrendered original, unused hunt permit-tag. When re-issuing a tag, the Department may use any of the following methods in no order of preference:

1. Re-issuing the surrendered tag, beginning with the highest membership level in the Department's membership program, to a person who has a valid and active membership in that membership level and who would have been next to receive a tag for that hunt number, as evidenced by the random numbers assigned during the Department's computer draw process;

2. Re-issuing the surrendered tag to a person who has a valid and active membership in any tier of the Department's membership program with a tag surrender option and who would have been next to receive a tag for that hunt number, as evidenced by the random numbers assigned during the Department's computer draw process;

3. Re-issuing the surrendered tag to an eligible person who would have been next to receive a tag for that hunt number, as evidenced by the random numbers assigned during the Department's computer draw process; or

4. Offering the surrendered tag through the first-come, first-served process.

G. For subsections (F)(1), (2), and (3); if the Department cannot contact a person qualified to receive a tag or the person declines to purchase the surrendered tag, the Department shall make a reasonable attempt to contact and offer the surrendered tag to the next person qualified to receive a tag for that hunt number based on the assigned random number during the Department's computer draw process. This process will continue until the surrendered tag is either purchased or the number of persons qualified is exhausted. For the purposes of subsections (G) and (H), the term "qualified" means a person who satisfies the conditions for re-issuing a surrendered tag as provided under the selected re-issuing method.

H. When the re-issuance of a surrendered tag involves a group application and one or more members of the group is qualified under the particular method for re-issuing the surrendered tag, the Department shall offer the surrendered tag first to the applicant designated "A" if qualified to receive a surrendered tag.

1. If applicant "A" chooses not to purchase the surrendered tag or is not qualified, the Department shall offer the surrendered tag to the applicant designated "B" if qualified to receive a surrendered tag.

2. This process shall continue with applicants "C" and then "D" until the surrendered tag is either purchased or all qualified members of the group application choose not to purchase the surrendered tag.

I. A person who receives a surrendered tag shall submit the applicable tag fee as established under R12-4-102 and provide their valid hunting license number.

1. A person receiving the surrendered tag as established under subsections (F)(1), (2), and (3) shall expend all bonus points accrued for that genus, except any accrued Education and loyalty bonus points.

2. The applicant shall possess a valid hunting license at the time of purchasing the surrendered tag and at the time of the hunt for which the surrendered tag is valid. If the person does not possess a valid license at the time the surrendered tag is offered, the applicant shall purchase a license in compliance with R12-4-104.

3. The issuance of a surrendered tag does not authorize a person to exceed the bag limit established by Commission Order.

4. It is unlawful for a person to purchase a surrendered tag when the person has reached the bag limit for that genus during the same calendar year.

J. A person is not eligible to petition the Commission under R12-4-611 for reinstatement of any expended bonus points, except as authorized under R12-4-107(M).

K. For the purposes of this Section and R12-4-121, "valid and active membership" means a paid and unexpired membership in any level of the Department's membership program.

Ariz. Admin. Code § R12-4-118

Adopted effective April 8, 1983 (Supp. 83-2). Section R12-4-118repealed effective March 1, 1991; filed February 28, 1991 (Supp. 91-1). Amended by final rulemaking at 21 A.A.R. 3025, effective 1/2/2016. Amended by final rulemaking at 27 A.A.R. 283, effective 7/1/2021.