Section 2510.10  Purpose

 

a)         The purpose of this Part is to acknowledge and recognize the contribution of:

 

1)         Illinois residents returning from service abroad or mobilization by the President of the United States as an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces, the Illinois National Guard, or the Reserves of the United States Armed Forces [20 ILCS 805/805-305]; and 

 

2)         Illinois resident veterans of the United States Armed Forces after returning from service abroad or mobilization by the President of the United States [515 ILCS 5/20-45].

 

b)         In recognition of the services of Illinois resident service members, the Department of Natural Resources will waive specified fees for camping, fishing and hunting, as authorized by law, for the amount of time that the active duty member spent in service abroad or mobilized.

 

c)          In recognition of the services of Illinois resident veterans, the Department of Natural Resources will issue veterans a current fishing license, sportsmen's combination license or hunting license at one-half the current fee as authorized by law.

 

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 7211, effective April 29, 2026)

 

Section 2510.20  Definitions

 

"Acceptable verification of service or mobilization" – means official documentation from the Department of Defense or the appropriate Major Command showing mobilization dates or service abroad dates, including:

 

a DD-214,

 

a letter from the Illinois Department of Military Affairs for members of the Illinois National Guard,

 

a letter from the Regional Reserve Command for members of the Armed Forces Reserve,

 

a letter from the Major Command covering Illinois for active duty members, personnel records for mobilized State employees, and

 

any other documentation that the Department, by administrative rule, deems acceptable to establish dates for mobilization or service abroad. [520 ILCS 5/3.1-4] 

 

A copy of deployment orders shall not be accepted as verification.

 

Active Duty − means active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States, as evidenced by a DD form 2, United States Uniformed Service Identification Card, marked "Active" or "Active Duty".

 

Department − means the Department of Natural Resources.

 

Mobilization − means that a person was called to active duty by the President of the United States under Title 10 or Title 32, United States Code.

 

Service Abroad − means active duty service outside of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and includes all active duty service in territories and possessions of the United States.

 

Veteran − means an Illinois resident who is a former member of the Armed Forces of the United States, as evidenced by a DD-214 form issued by a branch of the Armed Forces of the United States.

 

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 7211, effective April 29, 2026)

 

Section 2510.30  Fee Exemptions and Fee Reductions

 

a)         Illinois residents returning from service abroad or mobilization by the President of the United States as an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces, the Illinois National Guard, or the Reserves of the United States Armed Forces, are eligible for the following, without fee, upon application and verification of service or mobilization to the Department:

 

1)         Camping, with no camping fee except:

 

A)        camper is responsible for applicable utility fees; and

 

B)        camper is responsible for applicable rent-a-tent fees and cabin fees.

 

2)         Sport fishing and hunting:

 

A)        A current Combined Sportsman's License, Habitat Stamp and a trapping license. 

 

B)        If requested, the applicant will also be issued one statewide archery deer permit and one  free firearm deer permit for the county of choice (and the archery deer permit if not available at time of verification) will be mailed to the applicant when available.

 

3)         Except for the purposes of obtaining a Lifetime License, any person on active duty in the Armed Forces shall be considered a resident of Illinois during his or her period of military duty. [515 ILCS 5/1-75 and 520 ILCS 5/1.2m]

 

b)         Resident veterans of the United States Armed Forces after returning from service abroad or mobilization by the President of the United States as an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces, the Illinois National Guard, or the Reserves of the United States Armed Forces, are eligible to purchase licenses at one-half the fee charged for the following:

 

1)         fishing license (see 515 ILCS 5/20-45(a));

 

2)         sportsmen's combination license (see 515 ILCS 5/20-45(c)); and

 

3)         hunting license (see 520 ILCS 5/20-3.2).

 

c)         Non-resident veterans are not eligible for no-fee hunting, fishing or camping.

 

d)         Non-resident veterans are not eligible for reduced fee hunting or fishing licenses.

 

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 7211, effective April 29, 2026)

 

Section 2510.40  Application

 

a)         Military members are eligible for free sport fishing, hunting and camping for one year for each year served and for one year for each portion of a year served.

 

b)         To receive free passes, licenses, stamps and permits, eligible military members and veterans shall comply with the following:

 

1)         Mail, email or appear in person with their application, acceptable verification of service or mobilization, and any other documentation as required by this Part to:

 

Illinois Department of Natural Resources

Office of Strategic Services

One Natural Resources Way

Springfield, Illinois

DNR.OSSMilitary@illinois.gov

 

2)         Eligible military members must apply within two years after their return from abroad or release from mobilization, provide verification of dates of service abroad or verification of dates of mobilization (see Section 2510.20) and provide a government issued photo identification card.

 

3)         Veterans can apply at any time and must provide a form DD-214 and a government issued photo identification card to the Department.

 

c)         The Armed Forces Special Pass (camping), issued to eligible military members, shall become effective on the date of application and shall expire on the same month and day in the year the entitlement expires.

 

d)         Any license or permit issued without charge pursuant to Section 2510.30(a) will expire March 31 of each year.  If eligible, any license or permit issued without charge pursuant to Section 2510.30(a) may be obtained by following the procedures under subsection (b).  Eligible military members can provide the Department with a copy of an unexpired Armed Forces Special Pass to obtain a new license, stamp or permit.

 

e)         After the initial issuance of one-half price licenses under Section 2510.30(b), eligible veterans may obtain one-half price licenses in subsequent years through the Department website or over-the-counter from any of the Department's direct license agents without providing additional copies of acceptable verification of services or mobilization.

 

(Source:  Amended at 50 Ill. Reg. 7211, effective April 29, 2026)

 

Section 2510.50  Violations (Repealed)

 

(Source:  Repealed at 50 Ill. Reg. 7211, effective April 29, 2026)