Bill Text: IL HB4777 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Amends the Wildlife Code. Requires fur facilities to be licensed by the Department of Natural Resources in order to continue operating. Provides that a person is not eligible to obtain a fur facility license for a fur facility that was not owned or operated in the State before the effective date of the amendatory Act. Specifies that a person who owns or operates a fur facility before the effective date of the amendatory Act must obtain a fur facility license from the Department for the facility by January 1, 2028 in order to continue owning or operating the facility on or after January 1, 2028. Limits the transferability of licenses after January 1, 2028. Establishes various license application requirements. Requires the Department to inspect fur facilities before granting or renewing a fur facility license. Provides that a fur facility license may be granted by the Department only if the Department determines the facility meets certain requirements. Creates the Fur Facility Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that amounts in the Fund must be used by the Department to finance the administration and enforcement of the licensing system established by the amendatory Act. Specifies that the Department of Natural Resources must revoke the license of any person who violates the licensing requirements added by the amendatory Act and may confiscate the person's fur-bearing mammals. Establishes criminal penalties for violations of the licensing requirements added by the amendatory Act. Exempts fur facility license holders from the Code's fur-bearing mammal breeder permitting requirements. Defines various terms. Amends the State Finance Act to make conforming changes.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2026-03-27 - Rule 19(a) / Re-referred to Rules Committee [HB4777 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2025-HB4777-Introduced.html

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104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2025 and 2026HB4777 Introduced , by Rep. Theresa Mah SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
520 ILCS 5/3.25 from Ch. 61, par. 3.25
520 ILCS 5/3.25a new
30 ILCS 105/5.1038 new
Amends the Wildlife Code. Requires fur facilities to be licensed by the Department of Natural Resources in order to continue operating. Provides that a person is not eligible to obtain a fur facility license for a fur facility that was not owned or operated in the State before the effective date of the amendatory Act. Specifies that a person who owns or operates a fur facility before the effective date of the amendatory Act must obtain a fur facility license from the Department for the facility by January 1, 2028 in order to continue owning or operating the facility on or after January 1, 2028. Limits the transferability of licenses after January 1, 2028. Establishes various license application requirements. Requires the Department to inspect fur facilities before granting or renewing a fur facility license. Provides that a fur facility license may be granted by the Department only if the Department determines the facility meets certain requirements. Creates the Fur Facility Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that amounts in the Fund must be used by the Department to finance the administration and enforcement of the licensing system established by the amendatory Act. Specifies that the Department of Natural Resources must revoke the license of any person who violates the licensing requirements added by the amendatory Act and may confiscate the person's fur-bearing mammals. Establishes criminal penalties for violations of the licensing requirements added by the amendatory Act. Exempts fur facility license holders from the Code's fur-bearing mammal breeder permitting requirements. Defines various terms. Amends the State Finance Act to make conforming changes.
LRB104 17214 BDA 30634 b
A BILL FOR
HB4777 LRB104 17214 BDA 30634 b
AN ACT concerning wildlife.
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
represented in the General Assembly:
Section 5. The Wildlife Code is amended by changing
Section 3.25 and by adding Section 3.25a as follows:
(520 ILCS 5/3.25) (from Ch. 61, par. 3.25)
Sec. 3.25. Any individual who, within the State of
Illinois, holds, possesses or engages in the breeding or
raising of live fur-bearing mammals, protected by this Act,
except as provided in Sections 1.6, or 1.7, or 3.25a, shall be
a fur-bearing mammal breeder in the meaning of this Act.
Before any individual shall hold, possess or engage in the
breeding or raising of live fur-bearing mammals, he shall
first procure a fur-bearing mammal breeder permit. Fur-bearing
mammal breeder permits shall be issued by the Department. The
annual fee for each fur-bearing mammal breeder permit shall be
$25. All fur-bearing mammal breeder permits shall expire on
March 31 of each year.
Holders of fur-bearing mammal breeder permits may hold,
possess, engage in the breeding or raising, sell, or otherwise
dispose of live fur-bearing mammals or their green hides,
possessed thereunder, at any time of the year.
Fur-bearing mammal breeders shall keep a record for 2

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years from the date of the acquisition, sale or other
disposition of each live fur-bearing mammal or its green hide
so raised or propagated, showing the date of such transaction,
the name and address of the individual receiving or buying
such live fur-bearing mammal or its green hide, and when
requested to do so, shall furnish such individual with a
certificate of purchase showing the number and kinds of live
fur-bearing mammals or green hides so disposed of, the date of
the transaction, the name and permit number of the breeder,
and the name of the individual receiving, collecting, or
buying such live fur-bearing mammals or green hides, and such
other information as the Department may require. Such records
and certificates of purchase shall be immediately presented to
officers or authorized employees of the Department, any
sheriff, deputy sheriff, or other peace officer when request
is made for same. Failure to produce such records or
certificates of purchase shall be prima facie evidence that
such live fur-bearing mammals or green hides are contraband
with the State of Illinois. The holder of a fur-bearing mammal
breeder permit may exhibit fur-bearing mammals commercially.
Nothing in this Section shall be construed to give any
such permittee authority to take fur-bearing mammals in their
wild state contrary to other provisions of this Act, or to
remove such permittee from responsibility for the observance
of any Federal Laws, rules or regulations which may apply to
such fur-bearing mammals.

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Holders of fur-bearing mammal breeder permits may import
fur-bearing mammals into the State of Illinois but may release
the same only after health and disease prevention requirements
set forth by the Director and other State agencies have been
met and permission of the Director has been granted.
The breeding, raising and producing in captivity, and the
marketing, by the producer, of mink (Mustela vison), red fox
(Vulpes vulpes) or arctic fox (Alopex lagopus), as live
animals, or as animal pelts or carcasses shall be deemed an
agricultural pursuit, and all such animals so raised in
captivity shall be deemed domestic animals, subject to all the
laws of the State with reference to possession and ownership
as are applicable at any time to domestic animals. All
individuals engaged in the foregoing activities are fur
farmers and engaged in farming for all statutory purposes.
Such individuals are exempt from the fur-bearing mammal
breeder permit requirements set forth in this Section if: (1)
they are defined as farmers for Federal income tax purposes,
and (2) at least 20 percent of their gross farm income as
reported on Federal tax form Schedule F (Form 1040) for the
previous year is generated from the sale of mink, red fox or
arctic fox as live animals, animal pelts or carcasses.
No fur-bearing mammal breeder permits will be issued to
hold, possess, or engage in the breeding and raising of
striped skunks acquired after July 1, 1975, or coyotes
acquired after July 1, 1978, except for coyotes that are held

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or possessed by a person who holds a hound running area permit
under Section 3.26 of this Act. No fur-bearing mammal breeder
permits will be issued to hold, possess, or engage in the
breeding and raising of any dangerous animal as defined in
Section 48-10 of the Criminal Code of 2012 acquired after July
1, 2022 except for coyotes that are held or possessed by a
person who holds a hound running area permit under Section
3.26.
(Source: P.A. 102-837, eff. 5-13-22.)
(520 ILCS 5/3.25a new)
Sec. 3.25a. Finding Urgent Relief from Vectors for
Infection Risk and Unchecked Spillover.
(a) The General Assembly finds that:
(1) The public health concerns associated with fur
facilities are multifaceted, involving risks of zoonotic
disease transmission, environmental contamination, and
antibiotic resistance.
(2) Intensive confinement and slaughter practices at
fur facilities facilitate the spread of viruses. These
facilities house large numbers of animals in pens or cages
in close proximity to each other, which promotes disease
transmission. Due to the cramped and unnatural conditions,
the animals experience extreme stress, which increases the
potential to shed and transmit viruses over extended
periods. This risk is further exacerbated by on-site

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slaughter practices that create additional points of
exposure.
(3) Two notable zoonotic disease risks at fur
facilities include SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza A virus
subtype H5N1.
(4) Mink pose a particularly high risk to humans
because a mink's upper respiratory tract is
physiologically similar to a human's respiratory tract,
which means mink can become infected and potentially
transmit to people some of the same respiratory viruses.
Minks' susceptibility to acquiring and spreading human and
animal respiratory viruses renders them potentially potent
for generating novel pandemic viruses.
(5) Tens of thousands of captive mink in the United
States and millions of captive mink worldwide have been
infected with SARS-CoV-2, creating opportunities for the
virus to mutate into new and more dangerous variants.
There have been documented cases of mink at fur facilities
transmitting a variant of the virus to humans.
(6) Foxes, mink, and raccoon dogs at fur facilities
infected with Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 create
opportunities for spillover to humans. In at least one fur
facility, the virus gained a mutation that favors
mammal-to-mammal spread.
(b) It is the purpose of this Section to protect public
health and human safety by licensing existing fur facilities

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and ending the establishment of new fur facilities in this
State.
(c) As used in this Section:
"Department" means the Department of Natural Resources.
"Fur" means any animal skin with hair, fleece, or fur
fibers attached, either in its raw or processed state.
"Fur facility" means any operation that owns, controls,
breeds, raises, propagates, keeps, skins, or slaughters
captive-held fur-bearing mammals for the purpose of profiting
from their fur.
"Fur-bearing mammal" has the meaning set forth in Section
1.2g of this Code.
"Person" includes any individual, firm, corporation,
trust, association, copartnership, society, or other
organization of individuals and any other business unit,
device, or arrangement.
(d) To own or operate a fur facility, a person must have a
fur facility license issued by the Department.
(e) A person who owns or operates a fur facility before the
effective date of this Section must obtain a fur facility
license from the Department for the facility on or before
January 1, 2028 in order to continue owning or operating the
facility on or after January 1, 2028.
(f) A person is not eligible to obtain a fur facility
license for a fur facility that was not owned or operated in
the State before the effective date of this Section.

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(g) A fur facility license holder is exempt from the
fur-bearing mammal breeder permit requirements set forth in
this Code.
(h) After January 1, 2028, a fur facility license is
nontransferable to a new owner or operator.
(i) A person must apply annually to the Department for a
fur facility license.
(1) At the time of obtaining or renewing a license,
the person who is being issued the license shall pay a fee
of $1,000.
(2) Each fur facility license application requires:
(A) the full contact information for all owners
and operators of the fur facility;
(B) the address for each place of business where a
fur facility conducts business;
(C) the legal descriptions of any lands upon which
the fur facility conducts business;
(D) all trade names under which the fur facility
conducts business;
(E) the number of individuals who work at each fur
facility;
(F) the number, species, and sex of individual
fur-bearing mammals raised for fur within the previous
year at each fur facility;
(G) the source of each individual fur-bearing
mammal raised for fur kept at each fur facility within

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the previous year;
(H) a detailed description of how the fur-bearing
mammals raised for fur were transported to and from
each fur facility within the previous year, including
the route taken, if applicable;
(I) the number of individual fur-bearing mammals
purchased, transferred, or sold by each fur facility
within the previous year and the name of each person or
entity to whom or from whom those fur-bearing mammals
were purchased, transferred, or sold;
(J) a description of the size, number, and type of
pens, cages, or other such enclosures used by the fur
facility;
(K) a description of the barriers used to contain
the fur-bearing mammals at the fur facility, as well
as the barriers used to prevent other animals from
gaining access to the fur facility;
(L) a description of the procedures the fur
facility uses to dispose of manure or carcasses or and
any parts of carcasses;
(M) a description of the practices and procedures
used by the fur facility within the previous year to
ensure the health and safety of workers, the public,
and the fur-bearing mammals and animals on and around
the facility; and
(N) the number of fur-bearing mammals kept at the

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fur facility who died or were killed within the
previous year, the cause of death, and, if killed by
humans, the reason each was killed and the method
used.
(3) Each fur facility shall be inspected, annually, by
the Department, prior to the granting or renewal of a
license, to ensure compliance with this Section and other
applicable laws and regulations. Following each
inspection, the Department shall produce a report stating
its decision on whether to grant or renew a license and how
the fur facility complies with the terms of its license.
(4) A license may be granted only if the Department
finds that, following an inspection, the application is
made in good faith with the intention to carry on the
business described in the application, and if the
Department also determines that:
(A) the facility is constructed to minimize
fur-bearing mammal escapes and additional protections
are put in place if escapes occur following
construction;
(B) there are adequate security and safety
programs and procedures that minimize the possibility
of fur-bearing mammal escapes;
(C) there is adequate recordkeeping to aid in
tracking of confined fur-bearing mammals or recovery
of escaped fur-bearing mammals;

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(D) there are adequate procedures, equipment, and
trained staff to maximize capture of escaped
fur-bearing mammals;
(E) adequate veterinary care and animal husbandry
is provided to identify and minimize the spread of
diseases; and
(F) the applicant has not been convicted of or
received any citations for violating environmental,
animal cruelty, or wildlife laws or regulations.
(f) The Fur Facility Fund is established as a special fund
in the State treasury. Fees collected under this Section and
interest attributable to moneys in the Fur Facility Fund must
be deposited into Fur Facility Fund. Subject to appropriation,
moneys in the Fund, including interest earned, must be used by
the Department to help fund the administration and enforcement
of this Section.
(g) If a licensee does not comply with any provision of
this Section, the Department shall, after notice and an
opportunity to be heard, revoke the licensee's license and may
confiscate the fur-bearing mammals at the fur facility.
(1) A person who operates a fur facility without a
license after January 1, 2028 commits a Class C
misdemeanor. The Department, or a representative of a unit
of local government approved by the Department for this
purpose, shall report any violation of this Section to the
State's Attorney of the county in which the violation

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occurred. Each day a violation continues constitutes a
separate offense.
(2) The penalties described in this Section may be
enforced by the Attorney General bringing an action in a
court of competent jurisdiction. The application of this
Section does not preclude an action by the Attorney
General seeking equitable or other remedies in connection
with the enforcement of this Section.
Section 10. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
Section 5.1038 as follows:
(30 ILCS 105/5.1038 new)
Sec. 5.1038. The Fur Facility Fund.