W. Va. Code § 20-2-47

This is the official text of W. Va. Code § 20-2-47, part of West Virginia’s Va. Code — part of the compiled statutory law of West Virginia, published by the state as "Va. Code." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

§20-2-47. License for private game farm for propagating animals and birds for commercial purposes.

Official statutory text

(a) The director may issue a license for the operation of a private game preserve for propagation of wild animals and wild birds for commercial purposes. The license shall authorize the holder to breed or raise animals and birds as specified by the license, to sell the same dead or alive, or to sell the eggs of birds in accordance with regulations prescribed by the director.

(b) Application for a license under this section shall designate the property whereon the preserve is to be established. Before the license is issued, the director shall determine that the property is properly enclosed, that the provisions for housing and sanitation are proper and adequate, and that the safety of the public is protected.

(c) The annual license fee shall be $10.

(d) (1) For purposes of this section, domesticated poultry possessed for agricultural purposes are not considered wild birds and are not subject to the licensure requirements for a private game preserve. Any quail or partridge that will be released into the wild are not possessed for agricultural purposes and are not exempt from said licensure requirements.

(2) As used in this subsection:

(A) "Domesticated poultry" means non-native quail or partridge.

(B) "Agricultural purposes" means use of domesticated poultry for purposes including, but not limited to, meat and egg production, propagation for meat and egg production, and sales for meat and egg production.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

Need a lawyer in West Virginia?

Find a West Virginia lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.