AB 682 amends multiple sections of Wisconsin statutes to increase fees for nonresident hunting, fishing, trapping and related approvals and to prescribe a minimum daily nonresident vehicle admission receipt. The bill revises dozens of line-items in s. 29.563 (fee schedule) and amends the vehicle admission receipt provision in s. 27.01, producing sample increases such as a $40 bump for a nonresident deer tag and a $10 increase for an annual fishing approval.
The changes take effect March 1, 2026. For DNR and outdoor-recreation stakeholders, the bill is primarily a revenue change: it raises posted prices for nonresidents, formalizes a minimum vehicle admission charge for out‑of‑state plates, and tweaks reduced-fee and specialty categories (for example, conservation patron and archer/crossbow provisions).
Compliance teams, vendors and recreation businesses will need to update pricing, permitting systems, and communications to reflect the new fee schedule.
At a Glance
What It Does
The bill increases nonresident approval fees listed in s. 29.563 across hunting, fishing, trapping, commercial and specialty categories, and amends s. 27.01 to require a minimum daily nonresident vehicle admission receipt of $19.85. Several fee lines add fixed dollar increases; some license categories remain available for a higher amount at the applicant’s option.
Who It Affects
Primary targets are nonresident hunters, fishers, trappers, commercial license-holders and out-of-state park users. The Department of Natural Resources must implement new price points and update electronic and point-of-sale systems; private outfitters, guides and license vendors will pass through new costs or adjust business models.
Why It Matters
This is a state-level price rebalancing that shifts more of the direct cost of outdoor recreation onto nonresidents rather than Wisconsin residents. It changes unit economics for visitation, affects demand-sensitive categories (one-day passes, daily vehicle receipts), and creates operational tasks for DNR and third-party vendors to update systems and customer notices.
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What This Bill Actually Does
AB 682 edits a long list of statutory fee entries so that nearly every nonresident hunting, fishing, trapping and related approval listed in s. 29.563 increases by a set dollar amount. The bill is not reallocating program responsibilities or creating new permit types; it is a targeted adjustment of hard-dollar prices.
Most changes are discrete increases stated in each subsection (for example, certain deer, bear and turkey approvals increase by tens of dollars), but the bill also adjusts special categories such as conservation patron packages and under‑18 price lines where the statute allows applicants to pay a greater amount at their option.
The vehicle admission change sits in s. 27.01: the department must charge at least $19.85 for a daily vehicle admission receipt for vehicles with registration plates from other states. That clause converts what was previously an unspecified nonresident admission fee into a statutory minimum, giving the secretary a floor but not preventing the department from setting a higher amount if it chooses.Some provisions are notable because they materially change previously low or symbolic fees.
The reduced-fee language for certain archer and crossbow licenses is increased substantially, and the bill raises fees for specialty items like wild ginseng harvesting and commercial licenses by modest amounts. The text amends specific statute subsections across the fee schedule rather than creating a new funding mechanism or dedicating the additional revenue to a separate account.Operationally, DNR and fee vendors will need to revise all sales channels: online licensing, in‑person vendors, and automated park-entry systems.
Because the statute lists exact dollar values for many items, every affected code table must be updated. The act takes effect March 1, 2026, so systems and public communications need to align to that effective date to avoid mischarging or customer confusion.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The act takes effect March 1, 2026; every statutory fee change in the bill becomes operative on that date.
The bill sets a statutory minimum daily nonresident vehicle admission receipt of $19.85 by amending s. 27.01(7)(g)2.
The nonresident deer approval fee is increased by $40, from $197.25 to $237.25 (amends s. 29.563(2)(b)3).
The 'reduced fee' provision for certain archer and crossbow licenses is raised sharply from $2.25 to $22.25 (amends the intro to s. 29.563(2g)), changing the economics of that concession.
For some multi-permit packages the statute explicitly preserves an applicant’s option to pay a greater amount (e.g.
sports and conservation patron lines are amended to $332.25 and $655.25 respectively, 'or a greater amount at the applicant's option').
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Minimum daily nonresident vehicle admission receipt
This amendment fixes a minimum of $19.85 for daily vehicle admission receipts when the vehicle bears an out-of-state plate. Practically, the DNR can no longer leave the nonresident daily vehicle charge unspecified in statute; it must post and collect at least the stated floor. The language still allows the secretary to determine the precise fee but removes ambiguity about the minimum.
Nonresident hunting authorizations — line‑item increases
These sections increase nonresident hunting approval fees across multiple categories — small game, deer, elk, bear, archer and crossbow deer, fur-bearing animals and wild turkey — by fixed dollar amounts. Each subsection replaces the prior numerical amount with a new amount, so the law will reflect precise sticker prices for each license type. For license sellers this creates a series of discrete update tasks: price tables, brochures, and online menus must reflect the new dollar values.
Nonresident fishing approvals and short-term passes
The bill raises annual, family, and short-term fishing approvals for nonresidents, and increases one-day and multi-day passes (including sturgeon‑spearing and hook & line for nonresidents). Those increases make single-day and tourist-oriented purchases noticeably more expensive, which could affect demand from short-stay visitors and day-trip anglers.
Sports and conservation patron packages; under‑18 and special categories
This group of amendments raises the price on 'sports' and 'conservation patron' packages and modifies special under‑18 lines and the purple heart recipient category. The statute explicitly allows applicants to pay 'a greater amount at the applicant’s option' for some of these packages, preserving a voluntary higher‑tier purchase mechanism while raising the base fee.
Commercial and specialty permits
Sections here incrementally increase guide permits, sport trolling licenses, trapping, taxidermy permits, commercial outlying waters entries, and wild ginseng harvest and dealer fees. Most increases are modest except where they reflect administrative parity (e.g., taxidermist permit goes up by $40). The outlying waters commercial fishing fee remains a high-dollar item and is adjusted by a small fixed amount.
Effective date for fee increases
All fee increases enumerated in the act take effect on March 1, 2026. That single effective date concentrates DNR and vendor operational changes in a short window and creates a firm deadline for IT and customer-notification updates.
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Who Benefits
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources — increased nominal fee revenue for general DNR operations or programs funded by licensing receipts, giving the agency higher per‑transaction income without creating a new permit category.
- In‑state recreation users and taxpayers — by shifting more of the direct costs to nonresidents, the bill reduces the relative price burden on Wisconsin residents who use the same resources.
- Conservation programs that draw from license revenue — programs funded through general license receipts will see higher inflows if the legislature or DNR allocates the additional revenue to those programs.
Who Bears the Cost
- Nonresident hunters, anglers and trappers — they pay the increased sticker prices listed in the statute (e.g., higher one‑day passes, deer tags, and specialty permits).
- License vendors, outfitters and guides — they must update pricing systems, point-of-sale displays, booking platforms and customer-facing materials; small operators may face administrative costs to implement changes.
- DNR operations and IT budgets — the agency must revise online licensing modules, park-entry systems, and internal fee accounting; absent explicit appropriation the administrative burden could be absorbed within current budgets.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central dilemma is revenue versus access: the bill raises out‑of‑state prices to bring in more revenue per visitor, but higher ticket prices—especially for single‑day passes and vehicle admission—can suppress visitation and local tourism-related income, potentially offsetting some intended revenue gains and shifting the economic burden to border-region businesses.
The bill is a straightforward price schedule revision, but that simplicity masks operational and policy trade-offs. First, none of the language earmarks the additional revenue to particular programs; it merely raises statutory prices.
That leaves open whether the extra receipts flow to conservation priorities, park maintenance, or general agency needs. Second, increasing daily and single‑day prices (including the new vehicle admission floor) is demand‑sensitive: day‑trip and short-stay nonresidents are the most price-responsive customers, so higher fees could reduce visits and downstream spending in border communities.
Implementation risk is another practical tension. The statute amends many discrete fee lines, which is clear on paper but creates a logistical update across licensing databases, vendor agreements, and informational materials.
Small outfitters and local retailers will absorb one-time update costs; DNR’s schedule and vendor‑testing window will determine whether the March 1, 2026 effective date is realistic. Lastly, the bill raises some fees by modest amounts while increasing others dramatically (for example, the archer/crossbow reduced fee).
That unevenness could invite complaints about fairness and reciprocity from neighboring states or from nonresident stakeholders who purchase specific, formerly low-cost concessions.
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