🪪 Regulations & Licensing · 7 min
Getting licensed in New York
Why this matters
The requirements are short, specific, and testable. They also tell you something about how the state thinks: character references and an interview sit right alongside the written exam.
By the end of this lesson you will be able to
- List the four qualifications for a NYS wildlife rehabilitator license
- Distinguish Class I, Class II and Assistant Wildlife Rehabilitator
- Identify which federal permits are required, and for which animals
The four qualifications
To hold a Class I or Class II Wildlife Rehabilitator license in New York you must:
- Be over the age of 16, a resident of New York, and of good character and reputation in the community, judged by two character references written by people not related to you or to each other;
- Not have been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, a violation or misdemeanor under the Environmental Conservation Law (or settled a civil liability for one), and not have been convicted of any misdemeanor or felony within the previous three years;
- Score 80 percent or higher on the department's written examination; and
- Be interviewed by a regional department employee responsible for the wildlife rehabilitation program.
The three license classes
| Class | Requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Class I | The four qualifications above | The entry license. A "qualified beginning rehabilitator" holds a WRL 1. |
| Class II | Class I for at least two years, plus the four qualifications | May nominate and train Assistant Wildlife Rehabilitators, and is responsible for their performance. |
| Assistant | Nominated by a Class II rehabilitator; same character requirements | May assist only the nominating Class II rehabilitator. |
Where your state license runs out
A New York license alone lets you accept native mammals (excluding rabies vector species), reptiles and amphibians, unregulated bird species such as pigeons, European starlings and house sparrows, and some regulated game birds (turkey, pheasant, grouse).
You need a separate federal permit from the US Fish and Wildlife Service for migratory birds, which is nearly every native bird, plus all threatened and endangered species. NOAA governs marine mammals. An apprenticeship with a federally licensed avian rehabilitator is in fact a requirement for a federal permit covering many bird species.
Rabies vector species
Raccoons, skunks and bats are New York's rabies vector species (RVS). A standard rehabilitation license does not let you handle, possess, or even transport them. The WRL-RVS license requires a training course at the NYSWRC annual seminar, a cooperating veterinarian, pre-exposure rabies vaccination, special double-wired and double-doored housing separated from other animals, and inspections by state officials.
Keeping it
The license runs five years, but a completed Wildlife Rehabilitator Log and Tally is due before December 1 each year. The Log records every individual animal: who you got it from, the date, and its final disposition. Species must be named accurately: "red fox" is an identification, "sea gull" is not, because no such species exists.
From the field
A neighbor calls: they have had a baby raccoon in a box in their garage for two days and would like to drop it off on their way to work. You hold a Class I license with no RVS endorsement. What can you legally do? You cannot accept it, and you cannot transport it either. You can find them an RVS-licensed rehabilitator or a nuisance wildlife control operator, tell them not to handle the animal further, and tell them to contact their county health department if anyone was bitten or scratched.
This lesson is part of the NY Wildlife Rehabilitator Exam course. Open it in the course to answer the retrieval checks that go with it, track what you have read, and quiz the whole unit. Lessons, quizzes and the glossary are free.