This section applies only to persons that have elected to conduct hunting and furtaking license transactions by electronic means as determined from the context and surrounding circumstances of the acquisition and production of these digital license documents. Upon the Commission establishing a system to distribute and make available digital license documents, holders of these issued digital documents may produce them as required under the act or this part in digital or printed physical form in the same manner as physical printed licenses issued directly by the Commission or any of its agents, subject to the following:
(1)Digital documents. Digital license documents issued by the Commission and stored on a personal electronic device must be capable of immediate retrieval and clear display of the digital document to ensure the readability of all license information contained on the digital document, including any bar codes or QR codes. Failure to retrieve and produce this digital document or its physical alternative to any landowner upon whose land that person may be occupying or to any officer whose duty it is to enforce this title shall constitute a violation under section 2711(a)(12) of the act (relating to unlawful acts concerning licenses). (2)Printed digital license documents. Digital license documents issued by the Commission and subsequently reduced to physical form must be printed on paper or another substantially equivalent medium of such quality, color and contrast to clearly display and ensure the readability of all license information contained on the digital document, including any bar codes or QR codes. Failure to produce this printed digital document or its original physical alternative to any landowner upon whose land that person may be occupying or to any officer whose duty it is to enforce this title shall constitute a violation under section 2711(a)(12) of the act. (3)Harvest tags. The Commission will not issue any digital harvest tags with digital license documents. The Commission or any of its eligible issuing agents will issue harvest tags directly to the holder in physical form only. No further reproduction of these physical documents, digital or otherwise, is authorized to satisfy tagging or marking requirements under the act or this part, except as may be authorized by section 2710 of the act (relating to replacement of lost licenses). Section 2323(c) of the act (relating to tagging and reporting big game kills) regarding licenses issued without tags shall not be construed to apply to digitally issued license documents supplemented by the issuance of physical harvest tags. (4)Electronic Transaction Act. The Electronic Transactions Act, (73 P.S. §§ 2260.101-2260.5101), as amended, shall apply to any automated transaction conducted under this section. It is specifically intended that any license acquired and used in a digital format under the authorizations of this section is deemed to be electronically signed and certified by the holder of the document. Digital license documents issued by the Commission and subsequently reduced to physical form shall be signed and certified by the holder in the same manner as physical printed licenses issued directly by the Commission or any of its agents.The provisions of this § 143.5a adopted May 21, 2021, effective 5/22/2021, 51 Pa.B. 2945.The provisions of this § 143.5a issued under the Game and Wildlife Code, 34 Pa.C.S. § 2722(g).
This section cited in 58 Pa. Code § 143.11 (relating to Internet license sales).