Permits certified handicapped individuals and senior citizens to use all-terrain vehicles on state land for certain hunting purposes; directs the department of environmental conservation to establish a senior game recovery permit program to allow use of all-terrain vehicles on state lands by senior hunters for the purpose of retrieving big game.
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________
11097
I N A S S E M B L Y
April 24, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GRAY -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Transportation
AN ACT to amend the vehicle and traffic law and the environmental
conservation law, in relation to permitting certified handicapped
individuals and senior citizens to use all-terrain vehicles on state
land for hunting purposes
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 2403 of the vehicle and traffic
law, as added by chapter 402 of the laws of 1986, is amended to read as
follows:
2. Public lands other than highways. No person, EXCEPT (A) PERSONS
THAT ARE CERTIFIED HANDICAPPED INDIVIDUALS, OR (B) PERSONS WHO HAVE
ATTAINED THE AGE OF SEVENTY AND HOLD A VALID SENIOR GAME RECOVERY PERMIT
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION, shall operate an
ATV on any public lands, waters and property other than a highway,
except that an ATV may be operated on any such lands which have been
designated and posted for travel by ATVs in accordance with the
provisions of section twenty-four hundred five of this article. PERSONS
CERTIFIED AS HANDICAPPED INDIVIDUALS MAY UTILIZE AN ATV TO ENTER AND
EXIT PUBLIC LANDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF HUNTING, WHEREBY SUCH INDIVIDUAL
MAY BE THE OPERATOR OR A PASSENGER OF SUCH VEHICLE. PERSONS WHO HAVE
ATTAINED THE AGE OF SEVENTY AND HOLD A SENIOR GAME RECOVERY PERMIT MAY
OPERATE AN ATV ON PUBLIC LANDS DURING AN OPEN BIG GAME HUNTING SEASON,
FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF RETRIEVING A LAWFULLY TAKEN BIG GAME ANIMAL,
WHEREBY SUCH SENIOR PERMITTEE MAY BE THE OPERATOR OR A PASSENGER OF THE
ATV FOR SUCH RETRIEVAL PURPOSE.
§ 2. The environmental conservation law is amended by adding a new
section 11-0936 to read as follows:
§ 11-0936. SENIOR GAME RECOVERY PERMIT FOR ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLE USE.
1. THE DEPARTMENT IS AUTHORIZED AND DIRECTED TO ESTABLISH A SENIOR
GAME RECOVERY PERMIT PROGRAM, ALLOWING LIMITED ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLE USE
ON STATE-OWNED LANDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF RETRIEVING BIG GAME BY SENIOR
HUNTERS. A PERSON WHO HAS ATTAINED THE AGE OF SEVENTY YEARS MAY APPLY TO
EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
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